If patience builds virtue, then commuting from non-white council districts makes humanitarians. Transportation Alternatives (TransAlt) recently found those from Black, brown and/or low-income zip codes experience longer bus ride rides on average. It specifically found an extra hour and ten minutes a week in commuting for residents in Black-majority council districts.
The research found the ten lowest-income council districts—which boast 34% higher Black populations than the average district—were disparately more bus dependent but received slower service. Commuters from Black-majority districts spend 70 more minutes each week on the bus compared to those from white-majority districts.
TransAlt organizer Jada Yeboah says the main disparities are found in their coverage area of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Beyond bus speeds, they point to access to stations. And in New York City, longer wait times above ground means exposure to inclement weather during the hotter summers and colder winters in Black and brown neighborhoods fueled by climate change’s disproportionate impact on race.
“The main thing is that these things are connected,” said Yeboah. “There is a history of racism and institutionalized systemic racism that exacerbates a lot of these issues, and they’re not random.”
Following the findings, TransAlt suggests two ideas to better democratize bus ride times throughout the city. The first involves installing car-free busways for the slowest routes, best seen implemented in Manhattan along 14th Street between 3rd and 9th Avenues between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The second recommends rolling out a “bus rapid transit” system, which mimics a light rail or streetcar path, but for buses.
“We’ve done it not just in the state or nation, we’ve done it right in the city,” said Yeboah. “We just don’t have many examples of that in Black and brown communities, again, because of the disenfranchisement and disengagement in transit infrastructure.”
After the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) examination of the report, a spokesperson pointed to city efforts in progress to address issues highlighted by the findings.
“Outer borough bus riders deserve fast and reliable service—and we are focused [on] expanding dedicated space for buses in these communities specifically,” said the DOT spokesperson. “Our recent bus lane redesigns on University Avenue and Gun Hill Road in the Bronx have been proven to help riders get where they’re going faster while better connecting them to existing subway service and major destinations not reachable by train.”
The City also plans on bus priority improvements this year across the Bronx’s Tremont Avenue. Other busways delivered in Black and brown communities include through Upper Manhattan’s 181st Street and Jamaica and Archer Avenues in Queens.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.