As annoying as dealing with the MTA is for everyone, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants to make it a little less painful to two sets of vulnerable riders: seniors and the disabled. Today, Stringer pointed out that the current process for senior citizen and disabled customers to replace their reduced-fare Metrocards was "stressful and cumbersome," creating a "dangerous situation" for these very vulnerable riders. So, just how bothersome is the process? more ›

[Update below] We guess it was an hour before request-a-stop kicks in, but still! Last night a 29-year-old MTA bus driver was arrested by the NYPD for not letting a passenger off his bus. Seriously. Driver Michael Luca is now facing charges of resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and unlawful imprisonment. more ›

BusTime, the MTA's attempt to make it easier to know when your bus will arrive, comes to Manhattan on Monday. But for its debut on the island it will at first only be available for the incredibly slow M34 and M34A Select Bus Service—a regular contender in the annual Pokey Awards. Still, progress! more ›

Metrophile Darius McCollum, who loves borrowing mass transit vehicles about as much as some people love Jeremy Lin, will go on trial next week for stealing a NJ Trailways bus in August 2010. McCollum, who has been arrested 27 times for similar offenses, is facing up to 15 years in prison for grand larceny—but his lawyer will argue that McCollum's obsession with mass transit vehicles is fueled by mental illness, and not greed: “He’s never, ever tried to benefit personally from the theft of a vehicle,” Stephen Jackson said after a hearing in Queens Supreme Court. “This is a glorified unauthorized use of a vehicle case, a misdemeanor.” more ›

An unidentified woman described by the NYPD as "Asian and in her 40s" was fatally run over in Queens this morning around 8 a.m. The FDNY tells us she was declared dead at the scene of the accident, at the intersection of Northern Blvd and Union Street in Flushing. According to the FDNY, she may have been struck by a bus and multiple vehicles, and an NYPD spokesman tells us investigators are still trying to determine if the woman was hit by a bus or another vehicle. more ›

Did somebody say transit strike? The contract between the MTA and TWU Local 100 expired more than a week ago and negotiations have (mostly) continued in good faith since—but that doesn't mean they will forever. "We would never take a strike off the table, never," TWU head John Samuelson—who walked out of talks last Thursday in a huff—said in Albany yesterday. more ›

The MTA's financial problems are well-known, so naturally it would want to take a tough line with the transit union, TWU Local 100. And naturally the union isn't happy with no raises for its 34,000 members, so its contract expired at midnight on Sunday without any resolution. However, the two sides are kindly continuing negotiations so we won't have to deal with a transit strike. more ›

Transportation officials have put the kibosh on cheapie Chinatown bus line Double Happyness Travel Inc, calling it "an imminent hazard" and shutting down all operations immediately. But how will we get to Baltimore with five minutes notice now? more ›

There's a lot of pressure to see your friends and family this time of year. And sometimes, you just need a bus to get you there, whether or not your stop is along its intended route. That's what Andrew Hickey, who stole a Greyhound bus from a Syracuse depot and drove it 70 miles to visit a friend, may have been thinking, anyway. more ›

The paranoid ex-con who fatally shot his girlfriend's teenage son, then killed one person and injured another on a Q111 NYC Transit bus in Queens was allegedly hoping for a bloodbath. Damel Burton, 34, told cops the bus shooting occurred because he believed the commuters were plotting against him. And prosecutors say he had been planning to shoot even more people: "The defendant stated that he would have shot more people but the gun jammed," prosecutor Suzanne O'Hare said at Burton's arraignment, according to the News. more ›

A paranoid ex-con fatally shot his girlfriend's teenage son, then killed one person and injured another on a Q111 NYC Transit bus in Queens during a 15 minute shooting spree yesterday afternoon. According to the News, Damel Burton, 34, told cops the bus shooting occurred because he believed the commuters were plotting against him. “People on the bus were on the phone and he thought they were talking about him,” a police source said. more ›

A shooting broke out on a Q111 NYC Transit bus in Queens at around 4:04 p.m. today. The incident, at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue, left one man dead at the scene and another wounded after being shot in the face. The shooter apparently just walked onto the bus and started firing. Police say he is in custody. more ›

HopStop, the ever-useful website that helps folks route their best subway and bus routes in various cities, has now rolled out an option for parents and caregivers—and anyone else hauling a stroller—to find the most stroller-friendly routes. You can check the box for "Stroller Friendly" (it's also "Wheelchair Accessible"), which means getting a route that involves more walking and fewer stairs and, if possible, more elevators. more ›

Race cards! Fat jokes! Old ladies! This video of a Manhattan bus-ride-from-hell has got it all. Watch all the uncomfortable fun below—even though you weren't there, you'll wish you took a taxi anyway. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] And here we have video of a NJ Transit private bus driver multitasking while cruising down the highway on Friday. He's probably just sending a text to his wife to let her know he's going to be home late because he picked up a second shift at the other job he works as part of a desperate attempt to pay off their mortgage. Hopefully he won't get fired, but we have to weigh this man's pension against the public's right to not die in a fiery bus crash. Also, page views! more ›

Thirty people were onboard the BX15 bus yesterday when metal scaffolding and portions of a building's facade collapsed on it as it was pulling up to a stop at West 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. While 17 were hurt, including two police officers, all of the injuries were non-life threatening. "It sounded like the screws were coming loose," a witness who was waiting for the bus told the Post. "Then there was smoke and dust, and the next thing you know, it just came crashing down on the bus. It was awful, it looked like 9/11." more ›

Now that the city is a week into the school year and everyone's eardrums are growing accustomed to the early-morning shrieks of hyped-up children, it's time to play the classic back-to-school game "School Bus Horror Stories." more ›

For the second time this summer, a female bus driver on the Bx9 line has been attacked by an irate passenger at Fordham Plaza. Driver Maria Hogan says that a 6-foot-tall male passenger punched her because she didn't pull over for his stop. "The punch hit me on the right side of my face, right next to my ear. I ended up on the seat. I tried to push him away with my legs," Hogan told the News. more ›