Joint Effort Underway To Reinstate B64 Service To Coney Island

Local elected officials and straphangers have joined together in a fight to reinstate B64 bus service between Bensonhurst and Coney Island.

The shortened route, which took effect in June 2010, is part of what transit experts like Allan Rosen say is a concerted effort by the MTA to eliminate Southern Brooklyn bus lines by gradually reducing service (and therefore ridership) in the name of efficiency.

News 12 reports that Assemblyman William Colton and the Bensonhurst West End Community Council are leading a joint effort to put a stop to what some Bensonhurst residents say is a unnecessary inconvenience.

From News 12:

Residents also point out that the stop is outside a co-op that houses 360 families. The next-closest bus stop for those 1,500 residents is 10 minutes away.

Colton says, “The money they’re saving is a very short-term saving to the MTA. Very little compared to the damage they are doing to the quality of life of the people of this neighborhood.”

Despite the public outcry, including a petition started by residents, the MTA says that it’s not planning on bringing back B64 service to Coney Island. The authority currently recommends a time-consuming transfer to the B82 at Bay Parkway.