NYPD OFFICERS TO FOCUS ON BUSES IN TARGETED AREAS

For the first time in decades, the NYPD Transit Bureau will have officers in a dedicated unit focusing on buses – a move TWU Local 100 has been urging Mayor Adams and the NYPD to take to deter Bus Operator assaults.

The officers will accompany MTA Eagle Team security inspectors as they conduct fare-evasion enforcement along certain bus routes. The enforcement effort will target geographic areas, or “hubs,” selected in part because of their high rate of farebeating, officials said at a press conference in Brooklyn on Thursday.

“This definitely is a step in the right direction,” John Chiarello, Local 100’s Safety Director and Secretary-Treasurer, said of the joint MTA-NYPD initiative. “We hope it’s just the start of bigger things to come.”

Fares are an extremely important revenue stream that pays for MTA operations, including payroll. The union, however, places a higher priority on Bus Operator safety, Chiarello said.

“Our main issue is the onslaught of assaults and harassment against our Bus Operators,” Chiarello said. “They are victims of horrible and cowardly abuse every single day.”

NYPD Transit Bureau Police Chief Michael Kemper said the bureau is expanding its traditional reach with a “dedicated unit” working alongside the Eagle Team on bus routes.

“A uniformed police presence at our subway’s turnstiles ads to riders’ confidence,” Kemper said. “And soon, the same can be said for our city’s buses.”

The NYPD had a dedicated police unit riding buses across precinct borders decades ago, but it was discontinued. Local 100 has rallied in support of having NYPD on buses several times over the last couple years. Local 100 President Richard Davis has personally spoken to Mayor Eric Adams about the need for a uniformed NYPD presence.

Before enforcement ramps up in three targeted hubs, Eagle Team members will spend about 30 days educating riders about the city’s Fair Fares program through which low-income residents can get 50% off the cost of their rides. The NYPD contingent should be up and running in a couple of weeks, Kemper said. Downtown Brooklyn will be one of the targeted hubs, officials said.

According to the MTA, the Bus Stop Hub Approach is launching at the following locations before expanding throughout the five boroughs: 

  • Monday, July 31: Downtown Brooklyn along Fulton St, Jay St, Livingston St, and Smith St 
    12 Bus Routes: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B57, B61, B62, B65, B67, B103 
    Bus Transit Talk: Tuesday, August 8 at 4:00 p.m. 
  • Monday, August 7: Staten Island Ferry 
    22 Bus Routes: S40, S42, S44, S46, S48, S51, S52, S61, S62, S66, S74, S76, S78, S81, S84, S86, S90, S91, S92, S94, S96, S98 
    Bus Transit Talk: Monday, August 7 at 4:00 p.m. 
  • Monday, August 14: Kips Bay along 34 St, 1 Av, 2 Av, and 3 Av
    25 Bus Routes: BM5, BXM1, M101, M102, M103, M15, M34, M34A, M9, QM1, QM10, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM2, QM20, QM24, QM3, QM4, QM5, QM6, SBS15, X68