New York City Omnibus Corporation

The New York City Omnibus Corporation (NYCO, later Fifth Avenue Coach Lines, Inc.) ran bus services in New York City between 1926 and 1962. It expanded in 1935/36 with new bus routes to replace the New York Railways Corporation streetcars when these were dismantled. It further expanded with the acquisition of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from The Omnibus Corporation in 1954. NYCO was renamed the "Fifth Avenue Coach Lines, Inc." in 1956, becoming bankrupt in 1962, after which operations were taken over by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.

New York City Omnibus Corporation

A restored New York City Omnibus 1948 GMC Bus at the Circle Line terminal in 2009 This is NYC Transit originally fleet no. 4789 renumbered to represent NYCO 2969 and lettered New York City Omnibus for historical reasons. The original 2969 was a GM TDH 4509 a year or so newer than the bus in the photo. The original ran in a simpler green and yellow scheme, later repainted two tone green under MaBSTOA. The original was retired after 1966, but some buses of this class ran on and off as needed until early 1970.
Founded	1926 (1926)
Ceased operation	1962 (1962)
Defunct	Yes
Headquarters	New York City
Locale	Manhattan & Queens
Service type	Bus
Routes	23
Stops	Civic Center Astor Place Gramercy Park South Ferry Tribeca SoHo Greenwich Village Abingdon Square Chelsea Clinton Upper West Side East Harlem South Bronx Harlem Central Park South Polo Grounds Williamsburg Bridge East Village Lower East Side Kips Bay Murray Hill Yorkville Randalls and Wards Islands Astoria

Fifth Avenue Coach Lines bus in special holiday service in Times Square, 2009

History

The New York City Omnibus Corporation was formed in 1926 with John A. Ritchie as President.^[1] Richie was also president of The Omnibus Corporation founded a year earlier.

The company introduced new bus lines to replace the streetcar lines being withdrawn by the New York Railways Corporation in 1935/36,^[2] which The Omnibus Corporation also owned.

In 1954, the company purchased the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from The Omnibus Corporation and renamed itself as "Fifth Avenue Coach Lines, Inc." on May 14, 1956.^[3][4] They also acquired the Third Avenue Railway-owned Surface Transportation Corporation on December 17 that same year, and created an operating subsidiary, Surface Transit, Inc., to administer their routes.^[5]

The company went bankrupt in 1962 and the services were taken over by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.

Routes

The routes that were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation are listed below.^[6]

Route	Terminal A	Major streets of travel	Terminal B
1/2	Civic Center Park Row/City Hall or Astor Place 8 Street/4 Avenue	Fourth Avenue Madison Avenue (1 via Park Avenue) (2 via Madison Avenue)	Harlem Madison Avenue/135 Street
3/4	Gramercy Park 23 Street/Lexington Avenue or Astor Place 8 Street/4 Avenue	Lexington Avenue (3 and 4) Lenox Avenue (4 only)	East Harlem Lexington Avenue/131 Street or Harlem Lenox Avenue/146 Street
5	Civic Center Park Row/City Hall	Sixth Avenue	Central Park South 59 Street/6 Avenue
6	South Ferry	Broadway Seventh Avenue	Central Park South 59 Street/7 Avenue
7	Gramercy Park 23 Street/Broadway	Broadway Columbus Avenue Lenox Avenue	Harlem 146 Street/Lenox Avenue
8/9	Tribeca Canal Street/Varick Street or Astor Place 8 Street/4 Avenue	Seventh Avenue (8 to Canal and Varick Streets) (9 to 8th Street and 4th Avenue)	Central Park South 7 Avenue/59 Street
10	SoHo Cortlandt Street	Eighth Avenue Central Park West	Polo Grounds 159 Street/8 Avenue
11	Greenwich Village Abingdon Square	Ninth Avenue Amsterdam Avenue	Harlem La Salle Street/Broadway
12	SoHo West Street/Watts Street	Spring and Delancey Streets Crosstown	Williamsburg Bridge Mangin Street/Delancey Street
13	Greenwich Village West Street/Christopher Street	8 Street Crosstown	East Village Avenue D/West 10 Street
14	Chelsea West 22 Street/11 Avenue	14 Street Crosstown	East Village Avenue D/East 14 Street or Lower East Side Delancey Street/Essex Street
15	Chelsea 11 Avenue/West 23 Street	23 Street Crosstown	Kips Bay FDR Drive/East 23 Street
16	Clinton 12 Avenue/West 34 Street or Clinton 12 Avenue/West 42 Street via 8 Avenue	34 Street Crosstown	Murray Hill 1 Avenue/East 34 Street
17	Upper West Side West End Avenue/West 79 Street	79 Street Crosstown	Yorkville East End Avenue/East 79 Street
18	Upper West Side West End Avenue/West 86 Street	86 Street Crosstown	Yorkville East End Avenue/East 86 Street or Yorkville York Avenue/East 91 Street
19	Upper West Side West End Avenue/West 96 Street	96 Street Crosstown	Yorkville York Avenue/East 91 Street
20	Upper West Side West End Avenue/West 106 Street	116 Street Crosstown	East Harlem FDR Drive/East 116 Street
21	SoHo West Street/Watts Street	Houston Street and Avenue C Crosstown	Kips Bay 27 Street/1 Avenue
22	Lower East Side Clinton Street/South Street	Pitt Street Ridge Street	Lower East Side Houston Street/FDR Drive
TB	East Harlem Lexington Avenue/East 125 Street or South Bronx 138 Street/Jackson Avenue	Triborough Bridge	Randalls and Wards Islands or Astoria 37 Street/24 Avenue

References

1. "Gas-Electric Motorbus Co., Roland Gas-Electric Vehicle Co., New York Motor Bus Co..." New York City Omnibus Corp. was formed in 1926 with Ritchie president)
2. "Securities and Exchange Commission". 1945. p. 238. The New York Omnibus Corporation, successor to the New York Railways Corporation commenced the operation of bus route in 1936. In all but one year since then it has been profitable
3. "Guide to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company Collection 1895-1962". New York History Society. In 1954, after acquiring the Hertz car rental business, the Omnibus Corporation sold the assets of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company to the New York City Omnibus Corporation, which was renamed Fifth Avenue Coach Lines in 1956.
4. "Sidelights: Curve of Market at Tricky Spot". The New York Times. May 15, 1956. p. 56. Stockholders of the New York City Omnibus Corporation have approved a change in name to Fifth Avenue Coach Lines, Inc.
5. Sparberg, Andrew J. (2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Oxford University Press. p. 117. ...on December 17, 1956, Fifth Avenue's management purchased Surface outright.... Upon the takeover, Fifth Avenue created an operating subsidiary named Surface Transit Inc. for the new acquisition.
6. "www.nycsubway.org - Bus Maps".

External links

• Bus maps circa 1940s