Manhattan Beach Bus Service Update

THE COMMUTE: According to the Manhattan Beach Community Group, the MTA has agreed to station a dispatcher at the bus terminal in Manhattan Beach on summer weekends that will have the ability to summon extra drivers from the depot in case of any change in weather.

That is exactly what I recommended last April.  They did not agree to operate shuttle buses to the subway, as suggested by the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association. I agreed with the MTA that that measure was not necessary. Now if they would only rewrite the B49 schedule so that deadheading buses are placed in revenue service, perhaps on busy days, non-beachgoers would be able to board the first bus that arrives.

Neither of the community groups have ever addressed that issue or the fact that some B1 riders frequently have to wait an hour or more for a bus on weekday afternoons when school is open, except on Fridays.  I have been requesting that situation be remedied for several years now.  The MTA has met with me on at least three occasions and has added several buses at my request.  They have also taken other measures such as allowing buses to leave Kingsborough Community College with enough space so that there is room for additional passengers. I have also noticed that bus drivers are now making announcements for passengers to move to the rear.  While some improvements have been made in this regard, the problem still exists.

I will be watching this summer to see how effective that bus dispatcher is.

The Commute is a weekly feature highlighting news and information about the city’s mass transit system and transportation infrastructure. It is written by Allan Rosen, a Manhattan Beach resident and former Director of MTA/NYC Transit Bus Planning (1981).