Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
though during the dog days of summer the platforms can be swel-
tering. In theory, all subway cars have PA systems to allow you to
hear the announcements, but they don't always work well. It's a good
idea to move to a car with a working PA system in case sudden serv-
ice changes are announced that you'll want to know about.
BY BUS
Less expensive than taxis and more pleasant than subways (they pro-
vide a mobile sightseeing window on Manhattan), MTA buses are a
good transportation option. Their big drawback: They can get stuck
in traffic, sometimes making it quicker to walk. They also stop every
couple of blocks, rather than the 8 or 9 blocks that local subways tra-
verse between stops. So for long distances, the subway is your best
bet; but for short distances or traveling crosstown, try the bus.
Paying Your Way
Like the subway fare, bus fare is $2, half-price for seniors and riders
with disabilities, and free for children under 44 inches (up to three
per adult). The fare is payable with a MetroCard or exact change.
Bus drivers don't make change, and fare boxes don't accept dollar
bills or pennies. You can't purchase MetroCards on the bus, so you'll
have to have them before you board; for details on where to get
them, see “Paying Your Way,” under “By Subway,” above.
If you pay with a MetroCard, you can transfer to another bus or to
the subway for free within 2 hours. If you pay cash, you must request
a free transfer slip that allows you to change to an intersecting bus
route only (transfer points are listed on the transfer paper) within 1
hour of issue. Transfer slips cannot be used to enter the subway.
Using the System
You can't flag a city bus down—you have to meet it at a bus stop.
Bus stops are located every 2 or 3 blocks on the right-side corner of
the street (facing the direction of traffic flow). They're marked by a
curb painted yellow and a blue-and-white sign with a bus emblem
and the route number or numbers, and usually an ad-bedecked Plexi-
glass bus shelter. Guide-a-Ride boxes at most stops display a route
map and a hysterically optimistic schedule.
Almost every major avenue has its own bus route. They run either
north or south: downtown on Fifth, uptown on Madison, down-
town on Lexington, uptown on Third, and so on. There are
crosstown buses at strategic locations all around town: 8th Street
(eastbound); 9th (westbound); 14th, 23rd, 34th, and 42nd (east-
and westbound); 49th (eastbound); 50th (westbound); 57th (east-
and westbound); 65th (eastbound across the West Side, through the
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