{"id":319524,"date":"2026-08-12T15:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/319524\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:00:51","slug":"the-mta-is-bringing-a-totally-free-vintage-bus-festival-to-brooklyn-bridge-park-including-a-rare-look-at-the-first-us-bus-with-1950s-air-conditioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/319524\/","title":{"rendered":"The MTA is bringing a totally free vintage bus festival to Brooklyn Bridge Park \u2014 including a rare look at the first US bus with 1950s air conditioning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"single__subtitle\">Climb aboard a 1931 front-engine double-decker, explore the heroic 9\/11 commuter cruiser &#8216;Pamela,&#8217; and enter to win a $100 museum membership during this transit celebration.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786546851_711_Diseno-sin-titulo-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\" alt=\"The MTA is bringing a totally free vintage bus festival to Brooklyn Bridge Park \u2014 including a rare look at the first US bus with 1950s air conditioning\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSource \/ New York Transit Museum<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New York Transit Museum and MTA New York City Transit are bringing the 2026 Bus Festival to Brooklyn Bridge Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can climb aboard and explore the amazing evolution of NYC\u2019s transit history. Expect fun activities for all ages and a chance to meet the transit heroes who keep our city moving. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, you can snap a picture-perfect photo of these vintage vehicles with the Manhattan skyline as your backdrop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The festival is completely free. It runs rain or shine, so you can easily plan your weekend around it.<\/p>\n<p>Meet the vintage fleet<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786546851_533_Diseno-sin-titulo-2-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-389087\"  \/>Source \/ New York Transit Museum<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You will get to see some of the most iconic vehicles in NYC transit history up close. Highlights of the festival include:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetsy\u201d (1931): This is one of the oldest vehicles in the vintage fleet. Bus 1263 is a front-engine double-deck bus that remained in Manhattan passenger service until 1947.<\/p>\n<p>Bus #3100 (1956): Manufactured by General Motors, this was the first air-conditioned bus in the United States! It features 1950s innovations like soft cushioned seats, fluorescent lighting, and a push-type rear exit.<\/p>\n<p>Bus #9098 (1958): This was the first model to sport a two-tone green exterior. Likened to a loaf of sandwich bread, it was the first bus in NYC equipped with sliding windows and fiberglass seats.<\/p>\n<p>Bus #4727 (1969): Purchased for their ability to handle the Bronx\u2019s steep hills, these buses were dependable workhorses. Today, it is beautifully restored to its iconic 1970s blue livery.<\/p>\n<p>Bus #5227 (1971): Part of the General Motors \u201cNew Look\u201d fleet. After a complete rebuild in Chicago during the 1980s, these updated models became known as \u201cBlitz Buses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPamela\u201d (2001): To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9\/11, this MCI Commuter Cruiser will be on display. Badly damaged at the World Trade Center, it was rebuilt and now bears a special memorial livery featuring American flags.<\/p>\n<p>What to know before you go<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcc5 September 19, 2026, from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udccd Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Free! <a href=\"https:\/\/51281.blackbaudhosting.com\/51281\/tickets?tab=2&amp;txobjid=d79af5ef-6100-487b-8f3b-d00a8c449be5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Advance registration is encouraged<\/a> but not required. If you register early, you will be entered into a raffle to win a Dual\/Household Membership to the Museum\u2014a $100 value!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Climb aboard a 1931 front-engine double-decker, explore the heroic 9\/11 commuter cruiser &#8216;Pamela,&#8217; and enter to win a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-319524","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\/319524","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=319524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}