M34 and M34A buses

The 34th Street Crosstown Line is a surface transit line on 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, United States. It currently hosts the M34/M34A SBS routes of MTA's Regional Bus Operations. The M34 runs from 12th Avenue to FDR Drive via 34th Street, while the M34A runs from Port Authority Bus Terminal to Waterside Plaza.

m34, m34a
34th Street Crosstown Line
A 2017 Nova Bus LFS Articulated (5465) on the Waterside Plaza-bound M34A on 34th St between 5th & 6th Aves in Mid-2018.
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	New York City Transit Authority
Garage	Michael J. Quill Depot
Vehicle	Nova Bus LFS articulated New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 New Flyer Xcelsior XE60 (main vehicles) New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 Nova Bus LFS HEV (supplemental service)
Livery	Select Bus Service
Route
Locale	Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities served	Hudson Yards, Hell's Kitchen, Midtown, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Waterside Plaza
Start	M34: 34th Street and 12th Avenue M34A: 43rd Street and 8th Avenue
Via	34th Street
End	M34: FDR Drive and 35th Street M34A: Waterside Plaza
Length	M34: 2 miles (3.2 km) M34A: 2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Service
Operates	5 a.m. (weekdays) or 6:30 a.m. (weekends) to 12:30 a.m.[1]
Ridership	2,911,103 (2023)[2]
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	M34/M34A SBS
Route map Legend Javits Center – 12th Avenue 11th Avenue  M34  Hudson Boulevard ​ 10th Avenue Dyre Avenue Port Authority Bus Terminal – 43rd Street  M34A  ​​ 42nd Street 40th Street 37th Street 9th Avenue 8th Avenue ​​ 7th Avenue ​​ 6th Avenue ​​​​​​​ 5th Avenue Park Avenue ​ 3rd Avenue 2nd Avenue 28th Street / 2nd Avenue 23rd Street / 2nd Avenue 23rd Street / 1st Avenue 23rd Street / Avenue C Waterside Plaza  M34A  M34  1st Avenue East Side – FDR Drive (Ferry Terminal)  M34  Legend Two-way stop One-way stop  M34  Terminal  M34  Part-time terminal Subway connection PATH connection ← M31 ← M23 SBS (by borough) ← M23 SBS (by route number)  {{{system_nav}}}  M35 → Bx41 SBS → M60 SBS →

Route

For most of its length, the M34 uses 34th Street to travel crosstown. There is a one-block stretch of the westbound route, between 11th and 12th Avenues, that runs along 33rd Street; this is because the M34 needs to terminate along the northbound West Side Highway.^[1][3] At its eastern end, the M34 turns north onto the service road under FDR Drive to terminate at the East 34th Street Ferry Landing, which requires the M34 to make a U-turn at 35th Street and down southbound FDR Drive for one block.^[1][3]

The M34A uses a different route than the M34 at its western and eastern ends. It travels along Eighth Avenue northbound and Ninth Avenue southbound between 34th Street and 43rd Street (using 43rd Street to terminate westbound), thereby serving the Port Authority Bus Terminal.^[1][3] It also uses Second Avenue southbound and the FDR Drive service road northbound between 23rd Street and 34th Street in order to serve its Waterside Plaza terminus as well as Peter Cooper Village. The eastbound segment of the M34A between Second Avenue and FDR Drive uses 23rd Street.^[1][3]

Stops

Station Street traveled	Direction	Connections
M34 only
Twelfth Avenue West 34th Street	Westbound terminal, Eastbound stop	NYC Bus: M12 (northbound only)
Eleventh Avenue / Javits Center West 34th Street	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: M12 (southbound only) NYC Subway: ​ trains at 34th Street–Hudson Yards
Hudson Park Boulevard West 34th Street	Westbound
Tenth Avenue West 34th Street	Eastbound	NYC Bus: M11 (northbound only)
Dyer Avenue West 34th Street	Westbound
M34A only
Port Authority Bus Terminal Eighth Avenue	Westbound terminal	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only); (M42 at 42nd St) Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ trains at Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
42nd Street Ninth Avenue	Eastbound station	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only); M42
40th Street Eighth Avenue	Westbound	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only); (M42 at 42nd St) Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ trains at Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
39th Street Ninth Avenue	Eastbound	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only)
37th Street Eighth Avenue	Westbound	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only)
Common Stops
Ninth Avenue West 34th Street	Both routes (EB) M34 (WB)	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only)
Eighth Avenue / Penn Station / MSG West 34th Street	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: M20 (northbound only) NYC Subway: ​​ trains at 34th Street–Penn Station Penn Station: Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit
Seventh Avenue / Penn Station / MSG West 34th Street		NYC Bus: M7, M20 (all buses southbound only) NYC Subway: ​​ trains at 34th Street–Penn Station Penn Station: Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit
Sixth Avenue / Broadway / Herald Square West 34th Street		NYC Bus: M5, M7, M55 (all buses northbound only) NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​ trains at 34th Street–Herald Square PATH: HOB – 33, JSQ – 33, JSQ – 33 (via HOB) trains at 33rd Street
Fifth Avenue / Empire State Building East 34th Street		NYC Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M55, Q32 (all buses southbound only)
Park Avenue East 34th Street		NYC Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, Q32 (all buses northbound only) at Madison Avenue M101, M102, M103 (all buses southbound only) at Lexington Avenue NYC Subway: train at 33rd Street
Third Avenue East 34th Street		NYC Bus: M101, M102, M103 (all buses northbound only)
Second Avenue East 34th Street		NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only)
First Avenue East 34th Street	M34 (EB) Both routes (WB)	NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses northbound only)
28th Street Second Avenue	Eastbound	NYC Bus: M9, M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only)
23rd Street Second Avenue		NYC Bus: M9, M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only); M23 SBS
First Avenue VA Hospital		NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses northbound only); M9, M23 SBS
Avenue C 23rd Street
Waterside Plaza 25th Street	Eastbound terminal, Westbound stop
29th Street FDR Drive	Westbound stop
M34 only
Marginal Street East River Ferry Terminal	Eastbound terminal, Westbound stop	NY Waterway: East River Ferry

History

The 34th Street Crosstown Line as a streetcar at Broadway in the early 20th Century.

Streetcar line

The Thirty-Fourth Street Crosstown Railway was chartered on March 18, 1896, being a consolidation of the Thirty-Fourth Street Railroad Company and the Thirty-Fourth Street Ferry & Eleventh Avenue Railroad. The stock of the company was owned by the Metropolitan Street Railway. The streetcar line was previously a horsecar line, and in July 1900 the line began running via storage batteries, but in September 1903 it was changed to using an underground third rail.^[4]

Local bus service

New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M19 - 16) replaced New York Railways' 34th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936.^[5][6][7]

On July 14, 1965, the directors of the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority passed a resolution approving the extension of the route from the terminal of the route at First Avenue and East 34th Street to First Avenue and East 27th Street to serve Bellevue Hospital during late evenings. Buses would run via 34th Street, FDR Drive Service Road, East 25th Street, and First Avenue.^[8][9]

In January 1970, the United States Department of Transportation initiated the Urban Corridor Demonstration Program to test transportation demand management strategies to reduce traffic congestion on radial corridors in large urban areas. Grants were awarded to eleven metropolitan areas to conduct detailed planning for projects in July 1970, and projects in eight of them, including New York, were selected. The New York program would consist of eight projects, including traffic system management of New Jersey Route 3, a study of automatic vehicle identification, joint-use park and ride facilities, a contraflow bus lane along Interstate 495, and the rerouting of portions of two crosstown bus routes in midtown Manhattan with low ridership to better connect high-density job areas with the Port Authority Bus Terminal by eliminating transfers.^{[10][11]: 7, 14 [12]: 14} The first of the two bus reroutings was the rerouting of half of M3 49th/50th Street crosstown buses to the bus terminal in October 1971. The second was the rerouting on June 26, 1972, of some westbound M16 buses from 10th Avenue to 8th Avenue to improve access to the Port Authority Bus Terminal from the east side of Manhattan afternoon.^[13]

This new branch of the M16 would run on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.. Eastbound buses would start at 12th Avenue and 42nd Street, head east on 42nd Street, south on Ninth Avenue, and east on 34th Street to First Avenue. Buses would return in westbound service, running north on First Avenue, west on 37th Street, south on Second Avenue, west on 34th Street, north on Eighth Avenue, west on 43rd Street, and south on 12th Avenue to the terminal at 42nd Street.^[14][15] By 1975, the reroute of the M16 branch and the addition of two bus trips increased operating costs, though the tripling of ridership on the Eighth Avenue segment of the route, increasing by 1,300, outweighing the increased costs.^{[11]: 15 [12]: 15}

In 1974, buses were extended to serve the new Waterside Plaza housing development.^[16] On April 1, 1986, with the opening of the Jacob K. Javits Center at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, the branch to 12th Avenue and 34th Street was renamed the M34.^[17] The change had been approved by the New York City Transit Authority Committee of the MTA Board on February 19, 1986.^[18]

In April 2001, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a planned reroute of the M34 to serve the 34th Street Ferry Terminal. Buses, at the time, eastbound buses had traveled north via First Avenue and turned east onto East 36th Street, where the route terminated, and westbound buses headed east along East 36th Street, south via FDR Drive West Service Road, and west along East 34th Street. To serve the ferry terminal, eastbound service would run east along East 34th Street, over the FDR Drive Service Roads, and turn north into the bus staging area at the pier, and westbound service would leave from the northern end of the terminal area at East 35th Street, turn south on the FDR Drive West Service Road and head west on East 34th Street. The change was to be implemented in April 2001.^[19]

In 2010, it was one of seven local bus routes in Manhattan to participate in a PayPass smart card program. This program was a pilot program meant to find a suitable smart card technology to replace the MetroCard.^[20][21]

In August 2010, a program was implemented along the M16 and M34 routes, in which riders could track arriving buses. This later became MTA Bus Time.^[22]

Select Bus Service

Two 2008 Orion VII NG HEVs: 3817 on the FDR Drive-bound M34 (top) and 3802 on the former Waterside-bound M16 (bottom), prior to SBS implementation.

The M34 SBS and M34A SBS routes began on November 13, 2011.^[23] Like other Select Bus Service corridors, off-board fare payment is used, as well as all-door boarding.^[24] These are considered by the MTA as two SBS services, the M34 34th Street Crosstown and the former M16 route, which was renamed the M34A; the routes share a single corridor.^[25][23] The stops are listed below from west to east. Red-painted bus lanes were installed on 34th Street between First Avenue and Eleventh Avenue.^[26] The stops at Madison Avenue and Lexington Avenue were eliminated, the westbound stop at Tenth Avenue was moved to Dyer Avenue, and a stop at West 43rd Street near Ninth Avenue was moved consolidated with a stop at 42nd Street near that avenue. A part-time stop at West 38th Street and Ninth Avenue was moved to West 39th Street.^[27][28]

On April 8, 2012, as part of a pilot program that expanded on the 2010 pilot, MTA Bus Time was phased into this route.^[29] In April 2012, weekend service on the route was increased.^[30]

Starting in early 2013, bus bulbs were installed at twelve locations along 34th Street, allowing buses to stay in the bus lane while stopping.^[26] In November 2015, the section between Lexington Avenue and Seventh Avenue was completed with the installation of four new bus bulbs, resurfaced streets, new parking spaces, and newly painted bus lanes. The portion between 12th Avenue and Lexington Avenue included the construction of eight bus bulbs at bus stops and one curb extension. The remaining segment, between Lexington Avenue and the FDR Drive Service Road is expected to be completed by December 2016. The remaining portion would install three bus bulbs at bus stops and would build two curb extensions.^[31] The entire cost of the project is $27 million. In its first year of operation, there has been 23 percent time savings. Since 2011, there has been 12 percent ridership growth on the route, while overall, bus ridership has been decreasing in Manhattan.^[32][33] Alternate trips on the M34 to and from Waterside Plaza were added on September 3, 2017. ^[34]

References

1. MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M34 bus schedule" (PDF).
2. "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
3. "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
4. Street Railway Section of the Commercial & Financial Chronicle. Wm. B. Dana Company. January 1, 1902.
5. "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
6. "BUS LINE REPLACES 34TH ST. TROLLEY; Ceremony With Smith in Brown Derby Marks Passing of Outmoded System. TRACK REMOVAL PROMISED Mayor Says It Will Follow End of Litigation -- 116th Street Also Gets Motor Transit". The New York Times. April 2, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
7. "STREET CARS' KNELL SOUNDED BY COURT; Last Obstacle to Motorizing Rest of Manhattan Lines Is Removed by Manton. BOND DEAL IS APPROVED Fifth Av. Coach Unit Is Upheld in Purchase -- Trolleys to Go on 34th St. Wednesday". The New York Times. March 29, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
8. Proceedings: Relating to Matters Other Than Operation and Control. Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority. 1965. pp. 76, 133.
9. "Manhattan bus map". Flickr.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1969. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
10. Urban Mass Transportation Abstracts Cumulative Biography 1974-1980 Volume 1: Abstracts April 1982, Transportation Research Board Urban Mass Transportation Research Information Service, March 8, 1982, p. 260
11. Status of the Urban Corridor Demonstration Program : November 1975 / prepared for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Federal Highway Administration, Urban Mass Transportation Administration DOT P 6500.2. Alan M. Voorhees & Associates, Inc. 1975.
12. Status of the Urban Corridor Demonstration Program August 1977: Washington, New York, Dallas, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Louisville, Minneapolis Final Summary Report. Alan M. Voorhees & Associates, Inc. 1977.
13. Status of the Urban Corridor Demonstration Program, July 1974. Prepared for U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Federal Highway Administration; Urban Mass Transportation Administration DOT P 6500.2. Alan M. Voorhees & Associates, Inc. 1974. pp. 1–2, 45–51.
14. "Manhattan Bus Guide". nycsubway.org. New York City Transit Authority. 1974. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
15. "Metropolitan Briefs". The New York Times. June 25, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
16. "We've made Manhattan a better place to move back to". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. March 29, 1974. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
17. Brooke, James (February 28, 1986). "CITY ALTERING TRAFFIC FLOW TOWARD JAVITS CENTER". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
18. Transit Authority Committee Agenda Wednesday, February 19, 1986. New York City Transit Authority. February 19, 1986. pp. H-1, H-2, H-3, H-4, H-5, H-6.
19. April 2001 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. New York City Transit Authority. July 19, 2001. pp. 93, 94, 95, 96.
20. "MTA Launches Smart Card Pilot Program". MTA. May 28, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
21. Kaminer, Ariel (June 11, 2010). "Testing PayPass on New York's Buses and Trains". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
22. Kazis, Noah (October 15, 2010). "Track 34th Street Buses From Your Computer or Phone". Streetsblog New York City. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
23. "Select Bus Service Arrives at 34th Street". www.mta.info. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
24. "Introducing 34 St Select Bus Service". MTA.info (YouTube). November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
25. "34th Street Select Bus Service Newsletter 1/July 2011" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
26. "MTA Select Bus Service | M34/M34A 34th Street". web.mta.info. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
27. Colvin, Jill (November 14, 2011). "Launch of 34th Street Select Bus Service Confounds Some Commuters". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
28. "Select Bus Service Coming to 34th Street". www.mta.info. October 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
29. "MTA Bus Time to Debut Sunday on the M34/M34A SBS Crosstown". www.mta.info (Press release). Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
30. "34th Street Select Bus Service Newsletter 2/August 2012" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
31. "34th Street Select Bus Service Newsletter 3/Winter 2016" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 8, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
32. "Select Bus Service Report" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Transit, New York City Department of Transportation. 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
33. Kazis, Noah (May 8, 2012). "Off-Board Fare Payment Means MTA Can Run 24 More 34th St. Buses a Day". Streetsblog New York City. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
34. Hurowitz, Noah (December 13, 2016). "Plaza Locals Ask City to Boost Bus Service".

External links

• Media related to 34th Street Crosstown Line at Wikimedia Commons