\u201cWe had parents and caregivers and disability advocates who were advocating that we preserve the integrity of those spots up front for people that have mobility disabilities, as the [Americans with Disabilities Act] calls for,\u201d said Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA\u2019s chief accessibility officer. \u201cSo we knew that we weren\u2019t touching those spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approximately 75% of all buses on more than 250 routes now have what is marked as a \u201cDesignated Stroller Area,\u201d where seats can be flipped up to make room for tots and their stroller-pushing parents. All future bus orders will include spots for strollers, while others are presently being retrofitted at MTA bus depots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often talk about how our buses are critical ways for people to get to school, to work, to health care,\u201d said Demetrius Crichlow, president of New York City Transit. \u201cBut we can\u2019t forget about those who have children and families that need to get to the playground, to get to visit grandparents, to get to their first play dates.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/080626_bus_stroller_section.jpg\")
An M11 bus head down Ninth Avenue in Hell\u2019s Kitchen had a fold-up seats section to fit strollers, Aug. 6, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/The City Reporter<\/p>\n
The expansion is being funded by state legislators and it comes several years after parents began campaigning<\/a> for the MTA to reconsider its earlier ban on open strollers aboard buses. Not even a year after the start of the pilot program in September 2022, the test drive expanded to more than 1,000 buses<\/a>.<\/p>\n Danielle Avissar, a Manhattan mother of two, was among those who began pushing for the space when her son was a year old. He\u2019s now five and about to enter first grade.<\/p>\n Over those years, Avissar said strollers have become more welcome on buses, overcoming initial \u201cserious safety concerns\u201d<\/a> from the Transport Workers Union that unfolded strollers could tip over or lead to scraps over space.<\/p>\n \u201cParents feel more comfortable \u2014 it\u2019s become more normal and socially accepted for strollers to be on buses,\u201d she said. \u201cParents felt really shunned out prior to this.\u201d<\/p>\n