How NYC Open Data Guided a Review of Initiatives to Improve Bus Speeds in New York City
NYC Open Data Week – March 25, 2026
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Speakers: Jan Mendez - Budget and Policy Analyst, New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO); Brian Cain - Assistant Director of Housing, Environment, and Infrastructure, IBO; Gytis Simaitis - Fox Hall Analytics
Moderator: Brian Cain - IBO
Introduction to the Independent Budget Office and the Bus Speed Study
Jan Mendez introduced himself as a budget and policy analyst with the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO), working within the Housing, Environment, and Infrastructure team. He explained that IBO is a nonpartisan city agency that provides data-driven analysis of how New York City raises and spends money, including evaluations of major policy issues affecting everyday life in the city.
Mendez said the office became interested in buses because public transportation is essential to the functioning of New York City, particularly for:
Residents without subway access
People with disabilities
Communities heavily dependent on bus service
He noted that buses are frequently perceived as “slow and unreliable,” a sentiment widely shared by riders and commonly discussed in public conversations about transit. IBO therefore wanted to investigate whether that perception was supported by data and what underlying factors might explain it.
National Context – NYC Buses Among the Slowest in the United States
Mendez reviewed prior findings from a 2017 report by the NYC Comptroller’s Office, which concluded that New York City buses averaged approximately 7.4 miles per hour and were among the slowest bus systems in the country.
IBO conducted its own analysis using Federal Transit Administration data and found that New York City bus divisions continue to rank among the slowest major bus systems in the United States.
Comparisons with other systems showed:
MTA bus divisions lagging behind peer cities
New Jersey Transit operating substantially faster than NYC buses
Local and Select Bus Service (SBS) routes remaining particularly slow
Mendez emphasized that this was not simply anecdotal frustration but a measurable structural issue within the city’s transportation system.
Key Open Data Sources Used in the Study
The presentation focused heavily on the role of publicly available NYC Open Data in enabling the analysis.
IBO relied on three primary datasets:
MTA Bus Speeds dataset
NYC DOT Bus Lanes dataset
NYC Department of Finance Parking Violations dataset
Mendez highlighted that all of these datasets are publicly accessible and relatively easy to use, making them valuable tools not only for government analysts but also for researchers, advocates, and members of the public.
MTA Bus Speeds Dataset
The MTA bus speeds dataset was described as the core foundation of the analysis. The dataset is updated monthly and includes:
Average bus speeds
Total operating time
Total mileage
Route-level information
dating back to January 2015.
The data can be filtered by:
Borough
Weekday versus weekend
Peak versus off-peak hours
Local buses
SBS buses
Express buses
Mendez praised the dataset as “extremely easy to use” and encouraged attendees to explore it themselves.
NYC DOT Bus Lane Dataset
The second major dataset mapped all bus lanes in New York City. It included information such as:
Location
Direction
Date built
Width
Borough
GIS identifiers linked to the LION street dataset
Mendez noted that the dataset worked particularly well with GIS tools such as ArcGIS Pro and QGIS.
However, one important limitation emerged:
The dataset did not distinguish between protected and unprotected bus lanes.
This limitation became especially important later when evaluating compliance with the NYC Streets Plan, which specifically requires “protected” bus lanes.
Parking Violations Dataset
The Department of Finance parking violations dataset was used to analyze enforcement patterns affecting bus movement.
Mendez explained that the dataset:
Is organized by fiscal year
Contains extremely large files
Requires significant cleaning and filtering
IBO used R to isolate bus-related violation codes involving:
Bus lane blocking
Standing in bus stops
Failure to turn from bus lanes
Mobile bus lane enforcement
Analytical Methodology
To minimize distortions, IBO focused primarily on:
Weekday peak-hour trips
Pre-pandemic baseline comparisons
January 2019 as a benchmark
The office intentionally excluded weekend and off-peak variability because weekday commuting periods most strongly reflected riders’ lived experiences with slow buses.
Mendez explained that COVID-era conditions temporarily increased bus speeds because:
Ridership collapsed
Traffic volumes fell
Overall congestion decreased
As the city reopened, speeds largely returned to earlier patterns.
Findings – Bus Speeds Remain Chronically Slow
IBO found that average bus speeds remain very close to the levels identified years earlier by the Comptroller’s Office.
Key findings included:
Express buses remained the fastest category
SBS buses were only modestly faster than local buses
Manhattan buses were the slowest overall
Staten Island buses were the fastest overall
Mendez emphasized that Manhattan’s dense street network and heavy congestion strongly contributed to slow travel times.
The data also showed recurring seasonal fluctuations:
Summer speeds differed from winter and spring patterns
Weekend buses were somewhat faster than weekday buses
Express buses showed the greatest weekend speed improvements
“The Slowest Bus in NYC”
Mendez then presented several memorable route-level statistics.
For 2025:
The slowest bus route in NYC was the Manhattan M57
Average speed: approximately 4.99 mph
He joked that some people could jog faster than the bus.
Other notable findings included:
Fastest non-express bus: Staten Island S89 at approximately 16.79 mph
Fastest Manhattan non-express bus: M98 at approximately 9.19 mph
Fastest overall bus: SIM24 express route at nearly 25 mph
One striking comparison showed that:
The slowest Staten Island bus was still faster than the fastest Manhattan bus
Major Causes of Slow Bus Speeds
IBO identified three major contributors to slow bus performance.
Traffic Congestion
The most visible issue was severe traffic congestion, particularly in Manhattan.
Mendez cited MTA estimates that:
More than 700,000 people enter Manhattan’s central business district daily
Heavy congestion reduces travel speeds for all vehicles, including buses.
Lack of Dedicated Bus Lanes
Dedicated bus lanes were identified as another major factor.
Mendez explained that bus lanes allow buses to continue moving even when adjacent traffic is heavily congested. Major corridors such as Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street use these lanes to improve reliability and speed.
Weak Enforcement of Bus Lane Rules
The third major issue involved inconsistent enforcement.
IBO examined parking violation data and found that:
Camera-based bus lane violations increased sharply after 2020
Officer-issued bus lane violations plateaued after 2023
Mendez explained that automated camera enforcement had expanded rapidly and now plays a much larger role than traditional officer-issued tickets.
The NYC Streets Plan
The presentation then shifted toward the city’s policy response.
Mendez explained that Local Law 195 of 2019 required the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement the NYC Streets Plan — a five-year transportation master plan covering:
Bus lanes
Bike lanes
Pedestrian infrastructure
Transit signal priority
Accessibility improvements
One of the plan’s major mandates was:
Construction of 150 miles of protected bus lanes over five years
This represented an extremely ambitious target because it effectively required DOT to double the total historical mileage of bus lanes built in New York City.
Protected vs. Unprotected Bus Lanes
Mendez clarified an important distinction between ordinary bus lanes and “protected” bus lanes.
Ordinary bus lanes:
Consist mainly of painted roadway markings
Protected bus lanes:
Must either be physically separated from traffic
Or equipped with automated camera enforcement
This distinction significantly affected Streets Plan compliance calculations.
Streets Plan Progress and Shortfalls
IBO found that DOT had achieved strong progress in some Streets Plan categories, including:
Redesigned intersections
Pedestrian spaces
Accessible pedestrian signals
Transit priority signals
However, bus lane construction lagged badly.
By 2025:
Only 44 miles of protected bus lanes had been completed
106 additional miles would still need to be built in 2026 to meet the 150-mile mandate
Mendez openly questioned whether that target was realistically achievable.
Geographic Distribution of Bus Lane Construction
Using GIS mapping, IBO analyzed where new bus lanes had been added.
Findings showed:
Manhattan had the highest density of bus lanes overall
Bronx and Manhattan received the greatest recent expansions
Staten Island received no new bus lanes after the Streets Plan began
New investments in Manhattan focused on corridors including:
Third Avenue
96th Street
Lower East Side routes
Bronx investments focused on:
University Avenue
Mosholu Parkway
East Gun Hill Road
Why DOT Is Struggling to Meet the Mandates
Mendez summarized several reasons DOT has struggled to meet Streets Plan requirements.
Funding Constraints
DOT has repeatedly argued that achieving the mandates would require:
Billions in additional funding
Major staffing increases
Significantly expanded capital budgets
City Council estimates projected:
Approximately $377 million in additional expense funding
Approximately $252 million in additional capital funding
would be required to meet the minimum mandates.
Strict Definitions
Another challenge involved the legal definitions embedded in the Streets Plan.
Simply painting new bus lanes does not satisfy the law unless they qualify as protected lanes.
Political Resistance
Mendez also cited opposition from:
Community boards
Local elected officials
Neighborhood stakeholders
who have resisted some proposed street redesigns.
Social and Economic Impacts of Slow Buses
Mendez repeatedly emphasized that bus speeds are not “just numbers.”
Slow and unreliable buses can:
Limit access to jobs
Increase stress and anxiety
Reduce mobility
Harm economic development
Affect lower-income communities disproportionately
IBO’s analysis found that bus riders generally have:
Lower median incomes than subway riders
Lower incomes than car commuters
Slow buses therefore disproportionately burden already vulnerable populations.
Environmental Impacts
The presentation also highlighted environmental concerns.
Buses stuck in traffic:
Idle longer
Burn more fuel
Produce additional pollution
Mendez acknowledged that the MTA has made substantial progress toward environmental goals but argued that congestion remains a major environmental issue.
Recent Developments – Congestion Pricing and New Data
Several major updates had occurred after the report’s publication.
Congestion Pricing
Congestion pricing began operating in Manhattan’s central business district.
According to MTA data:
Bus speeds inside the congestion pricing zone increased approximately 2.3%
Segment-Level Bus Speed Dataset
The MTA also released a new segment-level speed dataset that breaks routes into smaller sections instead of reporting only route-wide averages.
This allows analysts to identify:
Specific bottlenecks
Localized slow segments
Midtown-specific delays
rather than averaging conditions across entire routes.
Free Bus Proposal
Mendez also noted that newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on making city buses fare-free.
IBO had not yet evaluated the potential impacts, though the topic surfaced repeatedly during Q&A discussions.
Q&A – Methodology and Reliability
Brian Cain moderated a lengthy audience Q&A session.
Participants asked about:
Average speed calculations
Standard deviations
Passenger boarding impacts
Fare evasion
SBS OMNY transitions
Reliability versus speed
Bus stop spacing
Dwell time
Segment-level GPS analysis
Mendez explained that IBO calculated average speed by dividing:
Total operating time
By total mileage
consistent with Federal Transit Administration methods.
He acknowledged that many additional variables — including passenger boarding volumes and stop spacing — likely influence bus speeds but were beyond the initial scope of the study.
Fare Evasion Discussion
Audience members discussed whether fare evasion contributes to delays.
Mendez noted that fare evasion rates on local buses are estimated at roughly:
40–50%
He acknowledged that fare disputes and enforcement interactions can delay service, though the exact impact remains difficult to quantify.
Gytis Simaitis of Fox Hall Analytics described how crowding near rear doors and fare avoidance behavior can slow boarding and movement.
Reliability Versus Speed
Audience members also raised concerns about reliability — buses failing to arrive on schedule at all.
Mendez acknowledged that reliability is a critical issue but explained that measuring it properly would require:
Timetable comparisons
GTFS schedule analysis
Arrival tracking
which fell outside the scope of the initial report.
Final Conclusions
Mendez concluded that New York City buses remain persistently slow and that current policy interventions have not yet solved the underlying structural problems.
He stressed that improving bus service is essential because buses disproportionately serve:
Older adults
People with disabilities
Lower-income communities
Residents without subway access
While the Streets Plan and congestion pricing may improve conditions over time, IBO concluded that the city still faces substantial challenges in creating a reliable, efficient, and equitable bus network.
RESOURCES
Speeding Up Slowly: A Review of Initiatives to Improve Bus Speeds in New York City — the February 2025 IBO report that this presentation is based on
Mapping New York City’s Efforts to Improve Bus Speeds — IBO’s interactive StoryMap accompanying the report
Bus Speeds in New York City Interactive Map — explorable map of average bus speeds by route, referenced by Jan Mendez
NYC Independent Budget Office — Environment, Infrastructure & Capital Budget — IBO’s transportation and infrastructure publications
Behind Schedule: How New York City’s Bus System Slow Rolls Riders — April 2025 NYC Comptroller report on slow buses and congestion pricing impacts
NYC Streets Plan — NYC DOT’s five-year transportation master plan and annual progress updates
Bus Lanes - Local Streets — NYC Open Data dataset of bus lanes used in IBO’s analysis
MTA Bus Route Segment Speeds: Beginning 2025 — segment-level bus speed data discussed as a recent MTA release
How NYC Open Data Guided a Review of Initiatives to Improve Bus Speeds in New York City — the NYC Open Data Week 2026 event page