Transit advocates announce Pokey award for slowest New York City bus route
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City transit advocates handed out awards to what they say are the slowest and least reliable bus routes in the city.
Buses are crucial part of the fabric of New York City and roughly 5,000 people rely on them each day to get around.
The M42 took home the Pokie award for the slowest bus -- crawling along at 5.25 mph.
And the Q8 received the Schleppie award for the least reliable route with riders waiting an average of 3.62 minutes longer than the scheduled wait time between buses.
But it's not all bad news -- the awards debuted a new category this year: the Mazel award for most improved routes went to the M79 and SIM32 routes.
The New York Public Interest Research Group, along with others, made the announcement during the annual event that uses humor to shine a light on a serious problem.
The MTA pointed out programs now in place are making a difference and speeding things along on some routes by up to 30%.
It says front-facing cameras that catch and ticket those driving or parking in bus lane are a game changer, along with congestion pricing in and around the Central Business District.
"Once we have OMNY everywhere and proof of payment is in place, we then can have all door boosting which will again speed up buses," said Andrew Albert with the NYC Transit Riders Council.
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