{"id":301636,"date":"2026-07-21T10:47:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301636\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:47:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:47:35","slug":"brooklyns-dollar-vans-squeezed-by-mamdanis-flatbush-avenue-bus-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301636\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn\u2019s dollar vans squeezed by Mamdani\u2019s Flatbush Avenue bus plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The unlicensed network of dollar vans that hustle up and down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn is on a collision course with Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s push to speed up bus service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The vans are faster and cheaper than the city\u2019s official buses. And unlike the MTA\u2019s buses, they take cash \u2014 a flat $2 fare.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re also illegal and peel business away from the transit agency. MTA Chair Janno Lieber has for years called for the city to kick them off the road.<\/p>\n

He may finally get his wish as Mamdani pursues his plan announced earlier this month to implement \u201cbus rapid transit\u201d on Flatbush Avenue from downtown Brooklyn to Kings Plaza, which would add \u201cdedicated bus lanes,\u201d more frequent service and \u201ctechniques that give [buses] a head start at intersections.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first stage of the Flatbush redesign stretching from Grand Army Plaza to Livingston Street has already changed dollar van operations. Several drivers said they now avoid driving north of Grand Army Plaza to avoid traffic caused by ongoing construction of protected lanes and concrete islands<\/a> for bus riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a hell down there,\u201d said dollar van operator John Williams, as he tried to navigate the gridlock. \u201cI can’t take the traffic, you’re burning gas, burning AC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other drivers like Hunte Maitland, 61, said the city\u2019s bus plan won\u2019t stop him from weaving in and out of traffic, picking up passengers whenever he\u2019s flagged down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not paying them no attention. I could always find my way around,\u201d he said. \u201c I know how to cut off and come back in and everything, so it’s not gonna affect me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of New York City’s dollar vans used to serve other purposes.<\/p>\n

Stephen Nessen \/ Gothamist<\/p>\n

When Mamdani announced his citywide plan to speed up bus service, he said he\u2019d deploy more traffic enforcement police officers to keep bus lanes clear. Lieber has said he wants those agents to target the dollar vans.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aThis DOT and this TLC, I think, are going to do something about illegal dollar vans,\u201d Lieber said in April. \u201cGetting traffic enforcement agents to break through the bottlenecks, the choke points, that’s gonna make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dollar vans are a familiar part of life in neighborhoods near Flatbush Avenue with large populations of Caribbean immigrants. The minibus services grew in popularity during the 1980 transit strike and continued to operate in areas across the city \u2014 largely in areas that lack subway service.<\/p>\n

The industry earned a reputation for reckless driving. But repeated efforts to regulate it have failed.<\/p>\n

The Taxi and Limousine Commission reported that there are only 63 licensed commuter vans in the city, and that any van without a TLC base number and license number is likely illegal. The vans are also prohibited from picking up people who hail them on the street, something only medallion taxis are allowed to do.<\/p>\n

Angela Yvonne said dollar vans are “part of the culture” in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Stephen Nessen \/ Gothamist<\/p>\n

TLC spokesperson James Parziale said illegal commuter vans are a safety risk to the public because they are unlicensed, don\u2019t have insurance, can lack proper seat belts and have safety defects like faulty emergency exits.<\/p>\n

Still, dollar vans are a regular presence on Flatbush and have many devoted customers.<\/p>\n

\u201dI like using the dollar van because it’s hilarious. Sometimes it’s very lively,\u201d \u200aAngela Yvonne, from Flatbush, said. \u201c\u200aDepending on which one you get, you’ll possibly get one with a TV screen inside, and then you’ll have all the different lively conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yvonne said she likes to take a dollar van when she\u2019s shopping because they drop her off anywhere she asks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s part of the culture,\u201d she said. \u201cThey do away with the dollar vans. It’s almost like saying, like we’re doing away with the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

But many commuters like Crown Heights resident Shirley Thomas, 60, said she wouldn\u2019t step foot in a dollar van.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of them are not insured, registered, and they’re just not safe,\u201d Thomas said. \u201c\u200aThat’s why I just say MTA.\u201d<\/p>\n

City transportation department spokesperson Vin Barone said the department doesn\u2019t enforce traffic laws, but helps run a program that automatically tickets cars that block bus lanes. He said the city aims to attract more riders to buses \u2014 and away from dollar vans \u2014 by speeding up service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unlicensed network of dollar vans that hustle up and down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn is on a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-301636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}