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Industry Notice #10-26 TLC ALERTS DRIVER LICENSEES TO BUS LANE RULES AND ENFORCEMENT
What Is A Bus Lane? Bus lanes are travel lanes that are restricted to buses during certain hours of the day. All bus lanes have signs posted along the route with specific regulations; newer lanes may also be marked "Bus Only" or be painted red. Emergency vehicles are the only other vehicles allowed to drive in a bus lane. All other vehicles may enter a bus lane only to make a right turn at the next corner, or to quickly drop off or pick up passengers. There are two types of bus lanes.
Some of the bus lanes in New York City, such as on Fordham Road in the Bronx or First and Second Avenues in Manhattan, are used by Select Bus Service (SBS) routes. SBS is the first generation of Bus Rapid Transit in New York City, and includes bus lanes and other features to improve bus service.  
The information on this page has been collected in a brochure available in several languages at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/about/buslanes.shtml
Why Have Bus Lanes? Millions of New Yorkers ride the bus every day. Bus lanes keep buses from getting stuck in traffic, making travel for bus riders fast and reliable.
If you drive, park, or stand in a bus lane during hours of operation you face fines ranging from $115 to $150. The City enforces bus lanes in two ways.
What are the advantages of bus lanes? Bus lanes enable buses to travel more quickly. Without a bus lane, buses must pull into and out of general traffic at each bus stop. This slows down both buses and other traffic. Buses also have to stop or slow down when vehicles stand and double park in bus lanes. Bus lanes help everyone move faster!
A single bus can carry 60 people or more. If those passengers used cars, there would be 30 or more cars on the road, increasing traffic congestion and pollution. Giving buses priority makes them more attractive to current and new riders, easing congestion and improving the environment for all New Yorkers.
Unless otherwise restricted, vehicles are permitted in the bus lane to make the next available right turn. To make a right turn from a bus lane, enter the bus lane safely toward the end of the block you are turning from. New bus lanes are being painted to make this clear and show you where it is best to enter the lane. With an offset bus lane, there are some locations where there is a curbside right turn lane before an intersection. Drivers should merge through the bus lane and use the curbside lane to make their turn, so that they do not block the bus.
If possible, arrange your pick up or drop off where there isn't a bus lane – across the street, or on the cross street, for example. However, you may stop in the bus lane for the time it takes for a passenger standing at the curb to enter or a passenger to exit the vehicle and get onto the sidewalk.
You cannot pick-up or deliver goods in a bus lane during the hours it is in effect. Many bus lanes have mid-day hours where parking and deliveries are permitted, and many streets with bus lanes have delivery space on an opposite curb, or on a cross street. You can use these hours and locations for deliveries, or schedule the delivery before or after the bus lanes are in effect.
If you are actively in the process of parking, you have a good reason to be in the offset lane, but please don’t block buses by waiting in the lane for someone to leave a parking space – you can get a ticket! Taxicab and For-Hire Vehicle Drivers must stay out of an active bus lane except to:
If you drive, park, or stand in a bus lane during hours of operation you face fines ranging from $115 to $150. The City has begun enforcing bus lanes with video cameras and increased police enforcement. Follow the Rules When Entering a Bus Lane
DRIVING AND PARKING ON FIRST AND SECOND AVENUES FOR SELECT BUS SERVICE First and Second Avenues in Manhattan got a make-over this summer for the launch of Select Bus Service (SBS) for the M15 bus line, adding bus-only lanes from Houston to 125th Street on both avenues. DOT also added 6 miles of new or upgraded bike lanes to these avenues, including floating parking-protected bike lanes with pedestrian crossing islands.
To ensure that the new bus lanes for SBS on First and Second Avenues do not interfere with deliveries, DOT created loading windows during weekdays to provide large amounts of curb space for loading and deliveries.
In order to improve the flow of traffic and safety on First and Second Avenues, DOT eliminated the dedicated left turn phase at four critical intersections. As a result, left turns have been banned at the following intersections:
DOT is the process of adding informational signs to warn drivers of the new turn restrictions, so they can make better informed decisions. As with all changes that DOT makes to New York's streets, we will continue to monitor these turn restrictions and make modifications where necessary.
As part of the street design on First and Second Avenues for SBS, DOT added six miles of new or upgraded bike lanes, including parking protected bike lanes with pedestrian crossing islands. Throughout New York City, floating parking lanes have improved safety for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as reduced reckless driving and illegal speeding. When driving near a protected bike lane
 
DOT and MTA New York City Transit are working together to bring SBS to First and Second Avenues, one of the slowest bus corridors in the city. The new SBS will benefit 54,000 daily riders of the M15 bus line, which currently takes 90 minutes to travel 8.5 miles between 125th Street and South Ferry - longer than a train ride from New York to Philadelphia. The new SBS on the M15 will bring faster and more reliable service by adding bus-only lanes, off-board fare payment and low floor buses with three doors. The new service is expected to improve overall travel time by 20 percent. ATTENTION: ALL CURRENT AND FORMER DDS CUSTOMERS You are receiving this notice because you have signed a contract with Digital Dispatch Systems Inc. now known as DDS Wireless International, Inc. (DDS). As you probably know, the Agreement between DDS and the City of New York to provide TPEP systems and services expired on September 30, 2010. However, DDS is contractually obligated to service and maintain its systems until the end of a transition period which TLC is currently targeting for April 30, 2011. The TLC has now set a deadline of December 31, 2010 for you to sign up with one of the two other contractors who provide TPEP systems and services – Mobile Knowledge Corp. (CMT) and VeriFone, Inc. (VTS). This means that all DDS customers must have signed an agreement with either CMT or VTS by December 31, 2010. (Note: You may only sign up with one of these vendors.) If you have not already signed up with either CMT or VTS, you must contact them at the numbers provided below. You must choose one with which to contract for TPEP systems and services as soon as possible but in any case prior to December 31, 2010. CMT: (718) 937-4444 VTS: (718) 752-1656 x255
REMINDER TO TLC DRIVER LICENSEES: SERVICE ANIMALS MUST BE WELCOMED IN ALL TLC-LICENSED VEHICLES TLC licensed drivers are reminded that service animals are required to be welcomed in all medallion taxicabs and For-Hire Vehicles. If a passenger states that an accompanying animal is a service animal the driver must, regardless of whether the animal is or is not secured, allow them in the taxicab or For-Hire Vehicle. Refusal to transport a passenger with a service animal is classified as a service refusal and carries penalties, upon conviction, up to and including TLC license suspension or revocation! TLC CHAIR DAVID YASSKY AND MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES COMMISSIONER MATTHEW SAPOLIN PROPOSE NEW DISPATCH SYSTEM OFFERING 24/7 ACCESSIBLE SERVICE FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS Lessons Learned from Pilot Project Help To Build a New & Improved Service New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Commissioner/Chair David Yassky and Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) Commissioner Matthew Sapolin announced the proposal of a new accessible dispatch system that would allow wheelchair users to call 311 to request, anywhere in the city, a wheelchair accessible taxicab or livery vehicle at the regular fare with high standards of service. This proposal follows a two year pilot project begun in July 2008 and concluding in June 2010 which facilitated 5,828 accessible trips for 2,700 unique customers, and cost $1 million in City funding secured by the City Council. A report on the pilot project is available at www.nyc.gov/tlc. At present, there are 240 wheelchair accessible taxis but no coordinated way for wheelchair users to access them. “While I want to reiterate the TLC’s ongoing commitment to our longtime goal of full accessibility for all who use the services we regulate, the practical reality is that it does not make sense to have each car service company maintain its own wheelchair accessible fleet as our regulations now provide,” said Commissioner Yassky. “What does make sense is to create one highly responsive central provider that serves the entire city with high quality accessible taxi and livery services, and is financially supported by our regulated industries.” “This proposal is intended to offer wheelchair users better, speedier service than that which is available currently from Access-A-Ride,” continued Commissioner Yassky, “provided that they are willing to pay the going rate for a taxi or car service, which are higher than the cost of mass transit.” "While we continue to actively pursue long term accessibility goals in the city's taxi and livery industries, we are excited to reactivate the Accessible Dispatch program," said Commissioner Sapolin. "With the cooperation of both fleets we believe wheelchair using passengers will have a better opportunity than ever to take advantage of this form of public transportation." “MTBOT has always done our fair part to keep the unsubsidized yellow taxi industry healthy and effectively servicing the public whether it has been our support of medallion sales that have yielded hundreds of millions of dollars to the City or our funding and managing of outer-borough taxi stands and welfare-to-work programs,” said Ron Sherman, President of the Metropolitan Board of Trade "We are committed to making the dispatch program a success and bringing timely 24/7 service to the disabled community. Everyone has a right to taxi service and we understand that for our friends and neighbors in wheelchairs this service is even more critical. We are proud to be the men and women who provide that service," said Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a union of over 14,000 drivers. NYTWA members were among the first to purchase accessible vehicles and participate in the dispatch program. Said the Greater New York Taxi Association: “The Greater New York Taxi Association (GNYTA) applauds the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission's efforts, under the leadership of Chairman David Yassky, to take steps to significantly improve the former accessible vehicle program to assist the disabled community. In particular we thank the TLC for seeking input from our association which represents the vast majority of corporately owned accessible cabs and for reaching out to the other industry associations and leaders for their input. We also credit the TLC for recognizing that the disabled community will be better served by combining the resources of the Medallion and the For Hire Vehicle industries. “We thank the TLC for recognizing that all drivers should receive accessible and sensitivity training to serve the disabled community, and all New Yorkers better. We also salute the TLC for recognizing that the program can only be successful if it is economically viable for its drivers. We also note that all taxi passengers now support the MTA through the taxi surcharge and urge the MTA to reciprocally aid the TLC by incorporating its Access-A-Ride program and by sharing in the responsibility to assist all New Yorkers. Said the Livery Roundtable: "The Livery Round Table supports the TLC's initiative to create an accessible for-hire dispatch program as a more workable alternative to rule 6-07(f), and will help in any way possible to make it a success." Contact: Allan J. Fromberg 212-676-1013 / allan.fromberg@tlc.nyc.gov MAYOR BLOOMBERG, MTA CHAIRMAN AND CEO JAY WALDER AND COUNCIL SPEAKER QUINN ANNOUNCE PILOT TO USE YELLOW CABS IN ACCESS-A-RIDE PROGRAM TO LOWER COSTS AND INCREASE CUSTOMER CONVENIENCE Per Trip Cost will be Reduced by Nearly 70 Percent Part of Mayor’s 2009 Campaign Plan to Reform Mass Transit and Mayor’s and Speaker’s Age Friendly NYC Plan
Mayor Bloomberg announces pilot to use yellow taxi cabs in MTA’s Access-A-Ride Program to reduce costs and improve service with MTA Chairman Walder. December 15, 2010. (Photo Credit: Spencer T Tucker)
Access-A-Ride is the MTA’s program to provide transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service with 24 hour, door-to-door service. The program currently uses fully accessible vans for most users with an average cost to the MTA of $49 per trip. Approximately 75 percent of Access-A-Ride customers do not require the use of a lift equipped vehicle and the pilot program will be tested with 400 of those customers with an average cost to the MTA of $15 per trip rather than the current $49 cost. Access-A-Ride users pay $2.25 per trip under the existing program and will continue to do so under the pilot program. Mayor Bloomberg proposed using taxi cabs to support the Access-A-Ride program in his 2009 campaign and in the Age Friendly NYC plan which was developed in coordination with the New York City Council, the Department for the Aging and the New York Academy for Medicine. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by MTA Chairman and CEO Walder, Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David S. Yassky, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew P. Sapolin, Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, and Craig Vaream, a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase which is issuing the debit cards for the pilot program. “We first proposed this idea on the campaign trail last year and later incorporated it into our joint effort with the City Council to make New York a more age friendly city,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We are now ready to deliver on our promise to offer Access-A-Ride users more convenience and greater flexibility at a lower cost to taxpayers. It’s the latest in a series of mass transit improvements we have been able to achieve by working with the current MTA leadership which has shown a real willingness to try new ideas and look for efficiencies. And with the City still facing difficult fiscal challenges we are constantly searching across City government for more and more ideas like this one, innovations that will improve services while cutting costs.” “We are working every day to find new ways to help our disabled customers navigate the city whether it’s through our 85 accessible subway stations, fully accessible fleet of 6,000 buses or our paratransit services,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Walder. “This initiative recognizes that most Access-A-Ride users don't need a wheelchair lift, and by targeting service to the needs of different customers within the disabled community we’re able to dramatically improve service and cut costs at the same time. For the first time our disabled customers will be able to take regularly scheduled trips by hailing a yellow taxi and using a special, pre-loaded debit card.” “If New York is going to continue to be an age friendly city we must respond to New Yorkers’ changing needs, and constantly strive to improve services,” said Speaker Quinn. “This pilot program takes advantage of today’s technology and is a smart use of our City’s resources. The use of yellow cabs will help make the city more accessible to older New Yorkers and make Access-A-Ride more efficient. Through partnerships like this one we will be able to remain innovative, and make sure New York City remains a truly age friendly city. I want to thank the Administration, my Council colleagues, the MTA, TLC and JP Morgan Chase for working with us and making this program a reality.”
“This is an innovative and practical way that the City and MTA can work together to improve service for Access-a-Ride customers and reduce program costs,” said Deputy Mayor Goldsmith. “In providing critical data, the Taxi and Limousine Commission will help prevent waste and fraud to ensure a successful pilot and work toward a long term solution.” “This announcement holds special meaning for those who require accessible transportation services,” said Council Member Vacca. “As the cost of Access-A-Ride outpaces available funding and as people live longer and longer we need to think outside of the box so that no New Yorkers are left to fend for themselves when it comes to getting around our city.” “This program will save money and make it easier for seniors and the disabled to travel around our city,” said Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, Chair of the Committee on Aging. “It's a win-win and exactly the kind of program we should be pursuing during these tough fiscal times.” “Using the taxi fleet will give Access-A-Ride customers better service at cheaper cost,” said Taxi Commissioner Yassky. “This is smart transportation policy by the MTA.” “This pre-paid debit card pilot program will be highly beneficial to Access-A-Ride passengers who will now have an alternative choice of transportation and the program another good step towards reaching our larger goal of greater accessibility in the public transit system,” said Commissioner Sapolin. “We would like to thank the MTA, TLC and JPMorgan Chase for all of their efforts.” “This program further cements our leadership status as the most Age Friendly city in the nation,” said Department for the Aging Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli. “It not only prepares us for the growing number of seniors tomorrow, but ensures that older and disabled New Yorkers can remain in their community and retain their mobility to see their doctor or attend a senior center.” “As a leading provider of card solutions Chase continues to partner with its clients to introduce innovative new applications for prepaid cards,” said Craig Vaream, Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase. “We are proud to expand our long standing relationship with the MTA and remain committed to delivering beneficial solutions to the citizens of New York City.” The Access-A-Ride customers participating in the pilot program are customers that require pickup and drop off locations in Manhattan below 96th Street. The volunteers are all ambulatory customers on Access-A-Ride’s subscription service. They travel to and from the same place at the same time on a regular basis. JPMorgan Chase worked with the MTA’s New York City Transit division to develop the electronic debit card for the Access-A-Ride pilot. Chase has been processing those cards and mailing them to customers participating in the pilot. Each card will have a different value pre-loaded depending on the customer’s regular destination and frequency of use with enough money pre-loaded to cover two weeks of subscription service. After two weeks customers will send a check to New York City Transit covering $2.25 for each trip taken and more value can be automatically added to customer cards. The pilot program will conclude after 90 days and, depending on results, the program may be extended for an additional 90 days or be expanded to include more customers. The City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission will utilize the GPS technology installed in each taxi cab provide tripsheet data from each ride to the MTA which will enable the MTA to determine the pickup and dropoff locations of all trips as they analyze the results of the pilot program. The MTA’s Access-A-Ride program currently has 150,000 customers.
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