S79 (New York City bus)

The S79 Select Bus Service constitutes a bus route in Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, running primarily on Richmond Avenue, Hylan Boulevard, and Narrows Road in Staten Island, and 92nd Street, Fourth Avenue, 86th Street, and Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn. It is based at the Yukon Depot.

s79
A 2019 Nova Bus LFS (8592) on the Staten Island Mall-bound S79 SBS turning right onto 4th Avenue from 87th Street in July 2019
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	New York City Transit Authority
Garage	Yukon Depot
Vehicle	Nova Bus LFS
Began service	April 15, 1990 (S79) September 2, 2012 (Select Bus Service)
Route
Locale	Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Communities served	Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Concord, Arrochar, Dongan Hills, Midland Beach, New Dorp, Oakwood, Bay Terrace, Great Kills, Eltingville, New Springville
Start	Bay Ridge - 4th Avenue & 86th Street
Via	Brooklyn: 92nd Street, 4th Avenue, 86th Street, Fort Hamilton Parkway Staten Island: Narrows Road, Hylan Boulevard, Richmond Avenue
End	New Springville – Staten Island Mall
Length	14.8 miles (23.8 km)
Other routes	S59 Richmond Avenue Local/Hylan Boulevard South; S89 Richmond Avenue Limited S78 Hylan Boulevard Local
Service
Operates	4:10 AM - 1 AM
Annual patronage	2,476,147 (2023)[1]
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	S79
Route map Bay Ridge – 86th Street  S79  92nd Street–Fort Hamilton Parkway Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Brooklyn Staten Island Fingerboard Road St. John Avenue Narrows Road South Clove Road / Norway Avenue Old Town Road / Quintard Street Seaview Avenue / Liberty Avenue Midland Avenue New Dorp Lane Lindbergh Avenue / Ebbitts Street Reno Avenue Tysens Lane Guyon Avenue Buffalo Street – Great Kills Park Bay Terrace Nelson Avenue Thornycroft Avenue Richmond Avenue / Hylan Boulevard Eltingville Boulevard Augusta Avenue Genesee Avenue Eltingville Transit Center Richmond Avenue – Yukon Avenue Ring Road – Sears Ring Road – Macy's Staten Island Mall (Marsh Avenue)  S79  Legend Two-way stop One-way stop  S79  Terminal Transit connections ← S78 ← Q70 SBS  {{{system_nav}}}  S81 → B44 SBS → B82 SBS →

The S78 and S79 were originally one route, but were split in 1990. In 2012, the S79 was converted to Select Bus Service, the first and now-only route in Staten Island to do so. It is the busiest bus route in Staten Island, serving 2.4 million riders in 2023.

Route description and service

A 2019 Nova Bus LFS (8585) on the Bay Ridge-bound S79 SBS at the Eltingville Transit Center.

The S79 begins at Ring Road and Marsh Avenue, near Staten Island Mall, and uses Ring Road to access Platinum Avenue, and then Richmond Avenue, while buses heading to the mall uses Ring Road and Marsh Avenue to access the terminus. It then continues along Richmond Avenue until it turns to Hylan Boulevard. It then goes along the boulevard for most of the length until it turns to Steuben Street and then Narrows Road, and then goes on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and uses exit 17 to access 92nd Street, and turns right onto 4th Avenue from 92nd Street, and then continues until it ends at 86th Street, near the 86th Street station on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, which is served by the R train. Buses heading to Staten Island use 86th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway to access the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.^[2][3]

This route uses rigid 40-foot Nova LFS diesel buses; it originally ran Orion VII NG Hybrid buses, now using the EPA10s from Castleton Depot if needed and available. The S79 is the only SBS line that does not utilize off-board fare collection, and so it prevents all-door boarding; when SBS was implemented in 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had determined that off-board fare collection was unnecessary since the route's boarding times were short enough.^[4] Additionally, it is one of two SBS routes that does not use 60-foot articulated buses, along with the B82 SBS, as well as the only SBS line to not have blue destination signs until July 2017. Riders must pay the fare on board, as they do on local, limited-stop, and express buses.

Stops

Northbound is towards Brooklyn and southbound is towards Staten Island. The S79 SBS is 14.8 miles (23.8 km) long.

Station Street traveled	Direction	Connections
Staten Island Mall Marsh Avenue Park and Ride	Southbound terminus, northbound station	NYC Bus: S55, S56, S61, S89, S91, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM4X, SIM8, SIM8X, SIM31
Staten Island Mall Ring Road – Macy's	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: S44, S59, S94
Staten Island Mall Ring Road – Sears		NYC Bus: S44, S59, S94
Yukon Avenue Richmond Avenue		NYC Bus: S44, S55, S56, S59, S61, S89, S91, S94, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM8, SIM31
Eltingville Transit Center		NYC Bus: S55, S56, S59, S74, S84, S89, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM8, SIM10, SIM15, SIM22, SIM31
Genesee Avenue		NYC Bus: S59, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM22
Eltingville Boulevard		NYC Bus: S59, S89, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM22 Staten Island Railway at Eltingville
Hylan Boulevard Richmond Avenue	Southbound	NYC Bus: S54, S59, S78, S89, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM22
Winchester Avenue Hylan Boulevard	Northbound	NYC Bus: S54, S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM22
Nelson Avenue	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: S54, S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10
Bay Terrace		NYC Bus: S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10
Buffalo Street Great Kills Park		NYC Bus: S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10
Guyon Av		NYC Bus: S57, S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10
Tysens Lane		NYC Bus: S57, S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM11
Ebbitts Street		NYC Bus: S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM11
New Dorp Lane		NYC Bus: S76, S78, S86, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM11
Midland Avenue		NYC Bus: S51, S78, S81, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11
Seaview Avenue		NYC Bus: S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11
Old Town Road / Quintard Street		NYC Bus: S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11 Staten Island Railway at Old Town
Clove Road		NYC Bus: S53, S78, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11
Narrows Road		NYC Bus: S78, S93, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM3C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11, SIM15, SIM33C, SIM35
Fingerboard Road		NYC Bus: S52, S93, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM3C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM11, SIM15, SIM33C, SIM35
Verrazzano Narrows Bridge – Staten Island/Brooklyn border
92nd Street Fort Hamilton Parkway	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: B8, B70, S53, S93
Bay Ridge – 86th Street Fourth Avenue	Northbound terminus, southbound station	NYC Bus: B1, B16, S53, S93 NYC Subway: train at 86th Street

History

The S79 was originally the R103, which ran between St. George Ferry Terminal Ramp "E" and Tottenville. In 1975, it was renumbered the S103. In September 1980, every other S103 bus was rerouted along Richmond Avenue to terminate at the Staten Island Mall, providing service from Staten Island's South Shore. At the same time, every other S102 bus was rerouted to the Mall, providing North Shore service.^[5] On January 4, 1987, as part of reductions in bus service on seven routes across the city, S103 service was decreased. While fewer short-run trips to Hylan Boulevard in Eltingville would operate, more frequent service would be operated on the branch to the Staten Island Mall.^[6][7][8] On April 15, 1990, the S103 was split into two routes; the S78 assumed the Tottenville service, while the S79 assumed the Staten Island Mall service.^[9]

On June 26, 1992,^[10] the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board voted to approve a service change to reroute the northern terminal of the route from Saint George Ferry Terminal to 86th Street and Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn effective in September. The route would be revised to run via Steuben Street, Narrows Road North, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Simultaneously, the B8 would be extended to 92nd Street to allow S79 riders to get to the Brooklyn Veterans Administration Hospital with a transfer. The proposed change was opposed by some store owners in Brooklyn and Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, who believed the route would lead Brooklyn shoppers to shop at the Staten Island Mall instead of at Bay Ridge stores.^[11] The change took effect on September 13, 1992 as part of the New York City Transit Authority's Fare Deal improvements program.^[12]

In April 2001, the MTA announced it would increase the span of S79 service on Sundays from 8:38 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Bay Ridge, and from 7:23 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. from Staten Island Mall due to demand for increased service. The additional service was expected to cost $40,000 a year, and would take effect in July 2001.^[13] In July 2001, it was announced that the span of morning service would be extended by two hours on weekends, to take effect in September 2001. The change was expected to cost $50,000 a year. S79 eastbound service previously began at 6:45 a.m. on Saturdays and 7:20 a.m. on Sundays, while westbound service began at 7:50 a.m. on Saturdays and at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays. With the change, eastbound service would begin at 4:45 a.m. on Saturdays and 5:20 a.m. on Sundays, and westbound service would begin at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. on Sundays. The change would be made since ridership on the first trips of the day indicated demand for earlier service.^[14] The span of Sunday service was extended again on September 7, 2003, with the last trip from Staten Island leaving at 10:10 p.m. instead of 9:45 p.m., and the last trip from Brooklyn leaving at 11:30 p.m. instead of 11 p.m..^[15]

The MTA announced in June 2012 that the S79 would be converted to a Select Bus Service route, as the S79 was Staten Island's busiest bus route.^[4] On September 2, 2012, the S79 was converted to an SBS route, and three-quarter of the stops were eliminated. It was the first bus route in Staten Island to do so. While the routing was left mostly intact, the S79 had all local service eliminated and replaced by local service on the S59 route along Richmond Avenue and the S78 route along Hylan Boulevard. The route was also straightened through New Springville to bypass the Yukon Bus Depot, which was expected to save four minutes.^[16] By 2017, the route was so crowded that numerous local elected officials were advocating for the MTA to increase the frequency of S79 bus service.^[17]

Traffic cameras were mounted onto S79 buses in late 2022 as part of a pilot program to ticket drivers who were using bus lanes illegally.^[18][19] In January 2023, the MTA announced that bike racks would be installed on the front of S79 buses.^[20][21]

References

1. "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
2. "Staten Island Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
3. MTA Regional Bus Operations. "S79 bus schedule".
4. Sedon, Michael (June 4, 2012). "MTA: Staten Island's busiest bus route to become a timesaver". silive. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
5. Engels, Mary (August 10, 1980). "Bus riders will get relief, but at local pace". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
6. "Molinari: Tell me your bus woes". New York Daily News. January 7, 1987. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
7. "7 Bus Routes Cut Back". Newsday. January 4, 1987. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
8. "7 Bus Routes to Cut Service". New York Daily News. December 30, 1986. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
9. "Staten Island Bus Service: A Guide to Route Renumbering Effective: April 15, 1990". Flickr. New York City Transit Authority. 1990. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
10. June 1992 Transit Authority Committee Agenda. New York City Transit Authority. June 19, 1992. pp. E.1, E.2-E.3, E.4-E.5, E.6-E.7.
11. Hoey, Sharon (June 27, 1992). "New Bus Route to Brooklyn Approved by Transit Board MTA Also Oks Ban on Cigarette Advertising on Buses, Trains". Staten Island Advance. pp. A10.
12. "Spend your money in Brooklyn and Staten Island, not getting there". New York Daily News. September 18, 1992. p. 533. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
13. April 2001 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. New York City Transit Authority. July 19, 2001. pp. 119, 120, 121-122.
14. July 2001 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. New York City Transit Authority. July 19, 2001. pp. 109, 110, 111-112.
15. "Staten Island Bus Service Notice". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2003. Archived from the original on December 13, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
16. Sedon, Michael (July 25, 2012). "MTA putting the speedball on Staten Island's S79 bus". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
17. Bascome, Erik (December 2, 2017). "Local officials urge MTA to add rush-hour buses to S79 route". silive. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
18. Hoogensen, Finn (October 3, 2022). "Hundreds more MTA buses to be equipped with cameras to catch lane violators". PIX11. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
19. Bascome, Erik (December 1, 2022). "Attention Staten Island drivers: MTA S79 bus-mounted cameras to begin issuing tickets this month". silive. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
20. Rahmanan, Anna (January 17, 2023). "The MTA is installing a bunch of bike racks all across the city". Time Out New York. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
21. Bascome, Erik (January 11, 2023). "S79 MTA buses to get mounted bike racks to enhance cycling access over Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge". silive. Retrieved June 21, 2023.

External links