BusTalk

transpeng · Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 2

I am researching about the History of the NYC Bus System. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources to check out. I have gone to the Transit Museum in NYC but they only had one photo archive book about the bus system. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

If you surf the various subjects and posts in this forum, you will come up with a lot of useful information.

Also go to Amazon.com books and do a search. Guy Martin has a great book about the buses of NYC starting in 1947.

Ever think of doing a search on Google or Yahoo ?

transpeng · Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 2

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

This site by Chicago railfan Bill Vandervoort is a good start:

TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN NEW YORK - NEW YORK CITY AREA

An older version of the site with detailed route histories is here:

Internet Archive - New York City area Street Railway and Transit Route Histories

BrooklynBus · Age: 74 Joined: 19 Aug 2007 Posts: 135 Location: Brooklyn

In 1973, I wrote my Master's Thesis in Urban Planning at Columbia University on the Inefficiency and Ineffectiveness of Brooklyn Bus routes. You can imagine how difficult it was to find info back then before the web. Some of my sources were personal interviews and NY Times microfilm which was very limited. It's still available in Avery Library, but I doubt if anyone has ever looked at it since.

In 1980, I published through the Department of City Planning, Routes: Brooklyn Bus Study Proposals for Southwest Brooklyn which is available by asking for it at the reference desk at libraries in the area. It detailed the process behind the 1978 bus route changes. There is also a little historical information on my web site, which you can get to if you click my name.

If you have an I-Phone or I-touch, it has detailed transit route histories, more detailed than cited in the link by railbus63. I tried to find the same information on the web but was not able to. I accidentally stumbled across it by using the application Quickopedia (available for free). I did a search for Sheephead Bay, then clicked on Bus Connections, clicked again on B4, then clicked on "List of bus routes in Brooklyn", then list of routes. There is also a history of former bus routes and streetcar lines.

It would be nice to know where this information is on the web.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:31 pm Post subject:

I can certainly help you with the Queens private lines and especially Green Bus Lines.

Much has been said about the history of New York City transit here at BusTalk and if you thumb through the forums, you should at least have a very good beginning for your study.

BTW; let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the board and say that we look forward to your valued input.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY