The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) operates 80 express bus routes in New York City, United States.
Express routes operated by MTA Bus Company are assigned multi-borough (BM, BxM, QM) prefixes.
Most routes travel to and from Staten Island via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Gowanus Expressway, and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel into Lower Manhattan.
This was the result of the two-year Staten Island Bus Study conducted by MTA, launched in 2015, which analyzed trip performance data, ridership profiles and extensive customer input, to determine the most effective way to reconfigure the network.
The MTA released a draft plan for Brooklyn's bus network redesign on December 1, 2022.
All Midtown routes except for the QM2, QM5 and QM20 Super Expresses operate nonstop outbound via the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, while Downtown routes operate via the FDR Drive and the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
All inbound service operates via the Long Island Expressway and Queens Midtown Tunnel.
[130]: 24 The final redesign was initially expected in mid- or late 2020,[128][129] but the first draft attracted overwhelmingly negative feedback, with 11,000 comments about the plans.
In 2015, the MTA began a comprehensive study of express bus lines on Staten Island.
It additionally operated four special routes to racetracks in the New York City metropolitan area.
From late 1988 to early 1990, Queens Surface Corporation discontinued the QM1 Wall Street and QM3 after the City of New York pulled its funding for the service.
Caravan Bus Systems Inc. picked up these routes due to equipment shortages and budget cuts with the approval of the NYCDOT.
Metro Apple Express (MAX) operated buses in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and to Jones Beach during its existence.
These routes were operated by Academy Bus until June 2001, when the franchises were awarded to Atlantic Express.