The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of bus routes in Manhattan, New York, United States. Many of them are the direct descendants of streetcar lines (see list of streetcar lines in Manhattan).
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Presently, the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority operate most local buses in Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation operates the Roosevelt Island Red Bus Service on Roosevelt Island.
The first bus company in Manhattan was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which began operating the Fifth Avenue Line (now the M1 route) in 1886. When New York Railways began abandoning several streetcar lines in 1919, the replacement bus routes (including the current M21 and M22 routes) were picked up by the New York City Department of Plant and Structures (DP&S). The DP&S began operating several other buses (including the current M79 and M96 routes) in 1921. All of these but the M21 were acquired by Green Bus Lines in 1933; Green transferred several of these to the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation in 1935.
The New York City Omnibus Corporation began operating replacement routes for New York Railways lines abandoned in 1936, and acquired the remaining Green routes. They also acquired the Madison Avenue Coach Company (former New York and Harlem Railroad lines), Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation (former Eighth and Ninth Avenue Railways lines), and in 1942 the Triangle Bus Corporation (current M21 route).
In 1936, the NYCO and Fifth Avenue were placed under common ownership. The two were merged directly by 1956, when the NYCO acquired the Surface Transportation Corporation (operated former Third Avenue Railway routes since 1941), and changed its name to Fifth Avenue Coach Lines. After a strike in 1962, the entire Fifth Avenue system was transferred to the newly-formed Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.
In 1933, two related companies began to operate routes: the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation gained several Green Bus Lines routes (including the current M22, M27, and M50 routes), and the East Side Omnibus Corporation started operating former Second Avenue Railroad routes (including the current M15 and M31 routes). The Comprehensive also started the current M66 route that year, and in 1948 the New York City Board of Transportation acquired the Comprehensive and East Side routes, transferred to the New York City Transit Authority in 1953. The M9 route came from the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company in 1980, which had begun operating replacement routes for the Dry Dock, East Broadway and Battery Railroad lines in 1932.
This table gives details for the routes prefixed with "M" - in other words, those considered to run primarily in Manhattan by the MTA. For details on routes with other prefixes, see the following articles:
Routes M2, M7, M14A/D, M15, M23, M42, M60, M79, M86, M96, M101, M102, M103 and, M104 run 24 hours a day. Other bus routes do not operate overnight hours, usually defined as midnight to 5AM. The Manhattan bus routes should not be confused with Megabus routes with similar names originating from Manhattan.
Route | Terminals | Streets traveled | Service notes | ||
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[1] | |||||
Local service | |||||
Harlem West 147 Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and 4 Avenue at Astor Place ( 6 <6> trains) |
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↔ | Spanish Harlem East 106 Street and 5 Avenue |
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Limited-stop service | |||||
Harlem West 147 Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard |
→ AM ← PM |
East Village East 8 Street and 4 Avenue at Astor Place ( 6 <6> trains) |
(See M1 Local service Harlem ↔ East Village above) |
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[2] | |||||
Local service | |||||
Washington Heights West 168 Street and Broadway at 168th Street ( 1 A C trains) |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and Fourth Avenue at Astor Place ( 4 6 <6> trains) |
Edgecombe Avenue, Adam Clayton Powell
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Limited-stop service | |||||
Washington Heights West 168 Street and Broadway at 168th Street ( 1 A C trains) |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and Fourth Avenue at Astor Place ( 6 <6> trains) |
(See M2 Local routing above) |
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[3] Local |
Fort George West 193rd Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and Fourth Avenue at Astor Place ( 6 <6> trains) |
Saint Nicholas Avenue, Manhattan Avenue, Central Park North, ...
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[4] | |||||
Local service | |||||
Penn Station West 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue |
↔ | The Cloisters Museum |
Fort Washington Avenue, Broadway,
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Limited-stop service | |||||
Penn Station West 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue |
↔ | The Cloisters Museum | (See M4 Local routing above) |
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[5] | |||||
Local service | |||||
Washington Heights West 178th Street and Broadway |
↔ | South Ferry Whitehall Street and South Street at South Ferry – Whitehall Street ( 1 R trains) |
Broadway, Riverside Drive, West 72 Street, Central Park South, ...
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Limited-stop service | |||||
Washington Heights West 178th St and Broadway |
↔ | South Ferry Whitehall Street and South Street at South Ferry – Whitehall Street ( 1 R trains) |
(See M5 Local routing above) |
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[6] Local |
Harlem West 147 Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard |
↔ | Chelsea 14th Street and 6 Avenue at Sixth Avenue / 14th Street ( L F M trains) |
Lenox Avenue, West 116 Street, Manhattan
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[7] Local |
West Village West St and Christopher St |
↔ | East Village Avenue D and Tenth St |
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[8] Local |
City Hall Park Row and Beekman Street |
↔ | Kips Bay East 23 Street and 1 Avenue at Bellevue Hospital |
East Broadway, Essex Street, Avenue C |
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[9] Local |
Harlem Fredrick Douglass Boulevard and West 159 Street |
↔ | Columbus Circle West 57 Street and 8 Avenue |
Central Park West, Fredrick Douglas Boulevard |
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[10] Local |
West Village Bethune Street and Hudson Street at Abingdon Square |
↔ | Riverbank State Park |
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↔ | Harlem West 133rd St and Broadway |
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[11] Local |
Lower East Side Grand Street and FDR Drive |
↔ | West Village Bethune Street and Hudson Street at Abingdon Square |
14 Street, Avenue A/Essex Street, Grand Street |
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↔ | Chelsea Piers West 18 Street and 11 Avenue |
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[11] Local |
Lower East Side Delancey Street and Columbia Street |
↔ | 14 Street, Avenue D | ||
[12][13] | |||||
Local service | |||||
East Harlem East 126th St and Second Av |
↔ | South Ferry Whitehall Street and South Street at South Ferry – Whitehall Street ( 1 N R trains) |
Water Street, Allen Street, 1 Avenue (NB)/2 Avenue (SB) | ||
Select Bus Service | |||||
East Harlem East 126th St and Second Av |
↔ | South Ferry South Ferry – Whitehall Street ( 1 R trains) Bus loop |
(See M15 Local routing above) |
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[14] Local |
South Ferry Whitehall Street and South Street at South Ferry – Whitehall Street ( 1 R trains) |
↔ | Lincoln Center West 63 Street and Broadway |
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Notes: | NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound |
Route | Terminals | Streets traveled | Service notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
[15] | West Village Washington Street and Spring Street |
↔ | Lower East Side Grand Street and FDR Drive |
Houston St |
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[16] | Battery Park City North End St and Vesey St |
↔ | Lower East Side Grand St and FDR Drive |
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[17] | Chelsea Piers 12 Avenue near West 23 Street |
↔ | Peter Cooper Village— Stuyvesant Town Avenue C and East 20 Street |
23 Street | |
[18] | Clinton West 54th St and 11th Av |
↔ | Yorkville East 92nd St and York Av |
57th St and York Av. |
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[19] | |||||
Select Bus Service | |||||
Chelsea 12 Avenue and West 34 Street |
↔ | East Side FDR Drive and East 34 Street |
34 Street |
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[19] | |||||
Select Bus Service | |||||
Port Authority Bus Terminal West 42 Street and 9 Avenue |
↔ | Waterside Plaza |
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[20] | Harlem East 125 Street and Lexington Avenue at 125th Street ( 4 5 6 <6> trains) |
↔ | Randall's Island and Wards Island | Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
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[21] | United Nations 1 Avenue and East 42 Street |
↔ | Circle Line 12 Avenue and Pier 83 |
42 Street | |
[22] | East Midtown East 49 Street and 1 Avenue |
↔ | Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises 12 Avenue and Pier 83 |
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[23] | Upper West Side West 72 Street and Broadway at 72nd Street ( 1 2 3 trains) |
↔ | East Midtown York Av and East 60 Street |
West End Avenue and 57 Street |
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[24] | Morningside Heights West 106 Street and Broadway |
↔ | LaGuardia Airport, Queens All terminals |
Broadway, 125 Street, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Astoria Boulevard | |
[25] | Upper West Side West 66 Street and West End Avenue |
↔ | Upper East Side York Avenue and East 67 Street |
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[26] | Upper West Side Freedom Place and West 68 Street |
↔ | Upper East Side York Av and East 72 Street |
72 Street, 66 Street Transverse |
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[27] | Upper West Side Riverside Drive and West 79 Street |
↔ | Upper East Side East End Avenue and East 79 Street |
79 Street | |
Notes: | NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound |
Route | Terminals | Streets traveled | Service notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
[28] Local |
Upper West Side West End Avenue and West 86 Street |
↔ | Yorkville East 92 Street and York Avenue |
86 Street, York Avenue | |
[29] Local |
Upper West Side West End Avenue and West 96 Street |
↔ | Yorkville 1 Avenue and East 97 Street |
96 Street | |
[30] | |||||
Limited-stop service | |||||
Upper East Side East 68 Street and Lexington Avenue at Hunter College |
↔ | Washington Heights West 193 Street and Fort Washington Avenue at 190th Street ( A train) |
Fort Washington Avenue, Harlem River Drive, ...
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[31] Local |
Inwood West 220 Street and Broadway |
↔ | East Harlem East 125 Street and 2 Avenue |
Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, 125 Street |
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[32] | |||||
Local service | |||||
Washington Heights West 193 Street and St. Nicholas Avenue |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and 3 Avenue at Astor Place ( 4 6 <6> trains) |
Amsterdam Avenue, 125 Street...
3 Avenue |
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Limited-stop service | |||||
Washington Heights West 193 Street and St. Nicholas Avenue |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and 3 Avenue at Astor Place ( 6 <6> trains) |
(See M101 Local routing above) |
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[33] Local |
Harlem West 147th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd |
↔ | East Village East 8 Street and 3 Avenue at Astor Place ( 4 6 <6> trains) |
Lenox Avenue, 116 Street
3 Avenue |
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[34] Local |
East Harlem East 125th St and Lexington Av |
↔ | City Hall Park Row and Broadway |
Bowery, 3 Avenue...
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[35] Local |
Harlem West 129th St and Amsterdam Av |
↔ | Times Square Times Square - 42nd Street ( 1 2 3 7 <7> N Q R S trains) |
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[36] Local |
East Harlem East 106 Street and FDR Drive |
↔ | Upper West Side West 96 Street and West End Avenue |
West 96 Street, Madison Avenue (NB), 5 Avenue (SB), East 106 Street |
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[37] Local |
East Harlem East 120 Street and Pleasant Avenue |
↔ | Upper West Side West 106 Street and Broadway |
Duke Ellington Boulevard, Manhattan Avenue, 116 Street |
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Notes: | NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound |
New York Waterway operates shuttle bus routes to/from its West Midtown Ferry Terminal. Service is free.
Terminal | Streets traveled |
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Midtown 3 Avenue and 57 Street |
57th Street |
Midtown Lexington Avenue and 50 Street |
Eastbound: 50 Street Westbound: 49 Street |
Midtown 3 Avenue and 42 Street |
42nd Street |
Murray Hill 3 Avenue and 34 Street |
34th Street |
Downtown Loop | AM: 23 Street, Broadway, Houston Street, West Street (clockwise) PM: West Street, Clarkson Street, Sixth Avenue, 23 Street (counterclockwise) |
All routes operate as clockwise loops.
Streets traveled | Notes |
---|---|
50 Street, 10 Avenue, 65th Street, Broadway, 42nd Street |
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44 Street, 8 Avenue, 57 Street, 5 Avenue, 49 Street | |
50 Street, 6 Avenue, 57 St, 8 Avenue, 49 Street |
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42 Street, 5 Av, 34 Street | |
23 Street, Varick Street, W Broadway, Murray Street, West Street |
A counterclockwise shuttle bus via 34 St, 6 Av, 48 St, and Lexington Av operates during peak hours only to connect with the East River Ferry.
This route is operated by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and is the lone unsubsidized route operating in Manhattan. The Red Bus route operates an on-island shuttle bus service from apartment buildings to the subway and tramway lines.
The one-way cash fare is 25¢, and 10¢ for seniors and disabilities.[38]
MetroCard is not accepted.
Route | Terminals | Streets traveled | ||
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Red Bus |
Octagon Apartments | ↔ | Roosevelt Island Tramway station | Main Street, East and West Service Drive |
In Lower Manhattan area, a free shuttle service operates daily from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM, sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District (BID), using minibuses.[39]
Route | Terminals | Streets traveled | ||
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Downtown Connection |
City Hall Broadway and Murray Street |
↔ | South Street Seaport Water Street and Fulton Street |
Warren/Murray Streets, South End Avenue, Battery Place, Water Street |
Route | History |
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M1 |
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M2 |
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M3 |
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M4 |
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M5 |
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M7 |
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M8 |
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M9 |
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M10 |
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M11 |
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M14A M14D |
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M15 |
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M20 |
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Route | History |
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M21 |
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M22 |
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M23 |
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M31 |
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M34 M34A |
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M35 |
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M42 |
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M50 |
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M57 |
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M60 |
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M66 | |
M79 |
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Route | History |
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M86 |
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M96 |
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M98 |
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M100 |
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M101 |
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M102 |
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M103 |
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M104 |
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M106 |
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M116 |
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Except for early Fifth Avenue Coach Company routes, which were approved by the New York Legislature, all routes were assigned a franchise by the city, numbered in order from M1 to at least M47 and M100 to M106. Most companies used these numbers, but the New York Omnibus Corporation gave its routes numbers from 1 to 22, and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company used numbers from 1 to 20. The public designations were not changed to avoid conflicts until July 1974.
Designation | Route | ||
---|---|---|---|
Public | 1974 | Current | |
1[46] | M1[47] | Fifth Avenue | |
2[46] | M2[47] | Fifth and Seventh Avenues | |
3[46] | M3[47] | Fifth, St. Nicholas, and Convent Avenues | |
4[46] | M4[47] | Fifth Avenue and Fort Washington Avenues | |
5[46] | M5[47] | Fifth Avenue, Riverside Drive, and Broadway | |
6[46] | M30[47] | M72 | 72nd Street Crosstown |
15[46] | M32[47] | Q32 | Fifth Avenue-Queensboro Bridge-Jackson Heights |
16[46] | Q89 | N/A | Elmhurst Crosstown |
19[46] | M5[47] | Fifth Avenue and Riverside Drive | |
20[46] | M28[47] | M57 | 57th Street Crosstown |
Designation | Route | |||
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Franchise | Public | 1974 | Current | |
M25[48] | 1/2[49] | M1[47] | Fourth and Madison Avenues | |
M21[48] | 3/4[49] | (M101)[47] | Lexington and Lenox Avenues | |
M23[48] | 5[49] | (M6/M7)[47] | Sixth Avenue | |
M22[48] | 6/7[49] | M6/M7[47] | Broadway and Columbus and Lenox Avenues | |
M24 | 8/9[49] | (M10)[47] | Seventh Avenue | |
M41[48] | 10[49] | M10[47] | M10/M20 | Eighth Avenue and Central Park West |
M42[48] | 11[49] | M11[47] | Ninth and Amsterdam Avenues | |
M2[48] | 12[49] | M12[47] | N/A | Spring and Delancey Streets Crosstown |
M16[48] | 13[49] | M13[47] | M8 | Eighth Street Crosstown |
M17[48] | 14[49] | M14[47] | 14th Street Crosstown | |
M18[48] | 15[49] | M26[47] | M23 | 23rd Street Crosstown |
M19[48] | 16[49] | M16[47] | M16/M34 | 34th Street Crosstown |
M4[48] | 17[49] | M17[47] | M79 | 79th Street Crosstown |
M5[48] | 18[49] | M18[47] | M86 | 86th Street Crosstown |
M6[48] | 19[49] | M19[47] | M96 | 96th Street Crosstown |
M20[48] | 20[49] | M20[47] | M116 | 116th Street Crosstown |
M40[48] | 21[49] | M21[47] | Houston Street and Avenue C Crosstown | |
M45[48] | 22[49] | N/A | Pitt and Ridge Streets | |
M62[48] | TB[49] | M34[47] | M35 | Manhattan-Wards Island via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
MQ25[48] | TB[49] | M35[47] | N/A | Manhattan-Queens via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
BxQ19[48] | TB[49] | Bx21 | N/A | Bronx-Queens via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
Designation | Company | Route | |||
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Franchise | Public | 1974 | Current | ||
M1[50] | M22[47] | M22 | Comprehensive | Madison and Chambers Streets Crosstown | |
M3[50] | M27[47] | M50 | Comprehensive | 49th and 50th Streets Crosstown | |
M7[50] | M29[47] | M66 | Comprehensive | 65th Street Crosstown | |
M8[50] | N/A | East Broadway | Grand Street Crosstown | ||
M9[50] | East Broadway | Avenue B | |||
M10 | see M40 | Hamilton Bus Corporation | Houston Street and Avenue C | ||
M11[50] | M31[47] | East Side | York Avenue | ||
M12 | N/A | East Side | 86th Street and York Avenue | ||
M13[49] | N/A | East Side | First Avenue | ||
M14 | N/A | East Side | First and Second Avenues | ||
M15[47][50] | East Side | First and Second Avenues | |||
M100[46][47] | Surface | Broadway-Kingsbridge | |||
M101[46][47] | Surface | Third Avenue-Amsterdam Avenue | |||
M102 | N/A | Surface | 125th Street Crosstown | ||
M103[46][47] | N/A | Surface | 59th Street Crosstown | ||
M104[46][47] | Surface | Broadway | |||
M105[46] | N/A | Surface | Tenth Avenue | ||
M106[46][47] | M42 | Surface | 42nd Street Crosstown |
M102 only operated from June 29 to July 1, 1947.
Route | Major streets | History |
---|---|---|
M6 | Broadway and 6 Avenue | Merged into M5 on June 27, 2010 due to budget crisis[40] |
M8 | Grand Street and Broome Street | |
M12 | Spring Street, Prince Street, Delancey Street, and Williamsburg Bridge to Williamsburg, Brooklyn | |
M13 | see M8 | |
M14C | 14 Street and Avenue C | Eliminated in 2002. |
M16 | 34th Street | Renumbered M34A when Select Bus Service on the M34 began in November 2011 |
M17 | see M79 | |
M18 (first use) |
see M86 | |
M18 (second use) |
Convent Avenue | Former Convent Avenue branch of M3. Truncated to Harlem in 1995. Discontinued June 27, 2010 due to budget crisis[40] |
M19 | see M96 and M106 | |
M20 | see M116 | |
M26 | see M23 | |
M27
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49/50 Streets | Discontinued June 27, 2010 due to budget crisis[40] |
M28 | see M57 | |
M29 | see M66 | |
M30
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East 72 Street, 57 Street |
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M32 | see Q32 | |
M34 | see M35 | |
M41 | "Culture Bus Loop I" [51] | |
M58 | 57th Street | Replaced the M103 on September 1, 1989; merged with the M31 in 1994. |
M101A | see M102 | |
M103 | West End Avenue and 59th Street |
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M105 | Tenth Avenue and Broadway |
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M106 | see M42 | |
M107 | see M96 and M106 | |
Grand Street Shuttle bus |
Service between Canal Street and Grand Street |
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3 train shuttle bus |
Service between 135th Street and Harlem – 148th Street |
Operated late nights only as a replacement for IRT Lenox Avenue Line subway service from 1995 to July 2008.[52] |
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