New York City’s slowest and least reliable MTA bus lines were revealed Monday. 

The Pokey and Schleppie awards are dubious distinctions handed out by the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA.

And the Pokey and Schleppie go to …

The M42 crosstown bus was awarded the Pokey, clocking in with an average speed of 5.25 mph. The Q8 bus was awarded the Schleppie, with riders waiting an average 3.62 minutes longer than the scheduled wait time between buses. 

The annual awards come in the form of a golden snail and golden elephant on pedestals. 

Along with naming and shaming the worst bus routes, this year the groups also handed out a new award, dubbed the “Mazel,” which salutes the most improved New York City bus routes. The inaugural winner was the M79, with an improvement in average speed from 6.63 mph to 7.25 mph. The SIM32 won the Mazel for express bus service with an average speed of 17.14 mph. 

The Mazel trophy is a flying bus. 

“The problem is things are in the way”

Leaders of the the MTA say in order to improve arrival times more must be done to crack down on double-parked cars and drivers who illegally invade bus lanes.

“The problem is things are in the way,” said John McCarthy, the agency’s chief of policy and external relations.

In addition, the MTA is working on speeding up how riders pay.

“Once we have OMNY everywhere and proof of payment is in place, we could have all-door boarding, which will enhance and speed up buses,” MTA board member Andrew Albert said.

Mayor-elect Mamdani’s quest to have free buses

While the Pokeys are an annual tradition, there was another new twist this year beyond the Mazel award. Namely, the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor. A signature policy proposal of Mamdani’s is making city buses free, a program he estimated would cost approximately $800 million per year. As it is, this summer CBS News New York reported that nearly 50% of bus riders already weren’t paying fares, leading to $315 million in lost revenue. 

It’s not Mamdani’s decision, however, as to whether the city will have free buses. The decision lies in the hands of the MTA. In October, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber expressed concern about making city buses free for all. 

“I want to make sure that people of limited income get priority in this discussion, that we’re not just giving a ton of money to people who are riding the 104 on the Upper West Side, where I grew up, the bus on Broadway,” Lieber said at the time. 

Mamdani has said he will pay for his proposals by increasing the corporate tax rate to 11.5% — the same as New Jersey — and by a 2% tax on people earning more than $1 million. Those tax increases would have to be approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature.

“Gov. Hochul and Mayor-elect Mamdani share a commitment to delivering an affordability agenda for New York’s working families. The governor is focused on achieving universal child care and will continue to have ongoing conversations on other proposals, including making transit more accessible and affordable, while ensuring the MTA has the resources it needs to serve New Yorkers,” a spokesperson for the governor said.

More from CBS News