Harlem Bus Route Will Be Free Starting Sunday: MTA

HARLEM, NY - Five MTA bus routes, including one route serving Harlem, will be free starting later this week.

The M116 route, which travels between W 106 Street/Broadway and East 120 Street/Pleasant Avenue, will be free for six months starting Sunday, Sept. 24, the transit authority said. The pilot program will serve around 43,900 daily weekday riders until at least March 30, 2024.

Major employers covered on the route include St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University and the East River Plaza Mall.

M116 makes connections to 1, 2, 3, 6, B and C trains and several bus routes, though free transfers won’t be offered.

The program is estimated to save families about $6,000 a year, NBC New York reported.

"Making a vital crosstown bus route like the M116 fare free will be a welcome relief to the New Yorkers struggling to stretch every dollar, made all the more valuable by the increased reliability of the M116 thanks to a quicker boarding process," Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said in July. "This pilot will be an important model for transit equity moving forward."

Later this year, we're rolling out a fare-free pilot on five bus routes in all five boroughs.

Thanks to funding from @GovKathyHochul, we'll begin offering fare-free trips on the Bx18A/B, B60, M116, Q4 (Local & Limited), and S46/S96 by late September. pic.twitter.com/UtzyIhbPEL
— MTA (@MTA) July 17, 2023

The free buses will be clearly marked “Fare Free” with green and black destination signage, digital signage onboard buses, decals inside the bus and covers on farebox and OMNY readers.

Other routes included as part of the program include the Bx18 A/B (Bronx), B60 (Brooklyn), Q4 LCL/LTD (Queens) and S46/96 (Staten Island).

The free routes were chosen based on factors like ridership, fare evasion, service adequacy, equity for low-income and economically disadvantaged communities and access to employment and commercial hubs, the transit authority said.

The pilot program is supported by $35 million from the state’s FY 2024 budget to increase subway service. The multi-phase plan aims to increase service across several train lines, including the G, J and M lines.

"The MTA is the lifeblood of New York City, and I’m proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made in returning ridership to pre-pandemic levels," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in July. "By establishing these fare free bus pilot routes, we are expanding access to public transportation across the city and improving transit equity to better serve all New Yorkers.”