STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Despite years-long advocacy for a bus rapid transit route on Staten Island, the city has no plan to bring the improved service to the borough.
New York City and state announced Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service, a plan by the city Department of Transportation and the MTA to make bus trips faster, more comfortable and more reliable.
That includes the new, “world class” rapid bus service for areas of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, along with faster boarding, modern stations and high-quality bus stop amenities.
According to the city, the plan aims to ensure 90% of all New Yorkers live within a half a mile of a subway, rail, select bus or new rapid bus stations.
But there are no planned rapid bus routes for Staten Island, and the borough has only one select bus line: the S79, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn.
The city will first implement a new rapid bus route on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn by 2030, and will launch public engagement for the development of four additional routes in 2026.
The five routes are:
Flatbush Avenue in BrooklynNorthern Boulevard in QueensTremont/Cross Bronx in the BronxKensington-JFK in Brooklyn and QueensUtica Avenue in Brooklyn
NYC’s plan for bus rapid transit routes criss-crosses the outer boroughs — expect for Staten Island.Department of Transportation
The city Department of Transportation stated that the initial set of bus rapid transit routes does not preclude others from being pursued going forward.
According to the Next Stop plan, the city will work to advance the first five rapid bus corridors, “with the recognition that additional corridors may be evaluated in the future.”
Currently, the MTA remains in the planning phase for a separate, unrelated rapid bus plan — the Staten Island North Shore Bus Rapid Transit plan.
It aims to operate between West Shore Plaza and the St. George Terminal to provide faster and more reliable travel along the borough’s north and west shores. The system would utilize the former North Shore Railroad right of way, making 14 total stops and servicing various neighborhoods.
However, those plans have not advanced since a final environmental impact statement was issued in 2024. And despite a recent push from local groups for the project’s inclusion in the MTA’s capital plan, an agency representative says the Bus Rapid Transit was still “under review” as of April 2026.
When asked at the time for a statement in response to the renewed push for the Bus Rapid Transit project, the MTA referred the Advance/SILive.com to the agency’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan.
“We will advance evaluation and the development of promising improvement and expansion projects, including the Ridgewood Busway, Staten Island North Shore Bus Rapid Transit proposals, and potential future phases of the Second Avenue Subway,” the statement reads in part.