Ads urge bus riders to push for faster trips

An advertising campaign launched by an advocacy group Tuesday tells straphangers that their bus commutes aren’t up to snuff — and urges them to push local officials to speed things up.

“You’re waiting for the slowest buses in America,” reads one of the 35 ads (inset) placed at bus shelters across the five boroughs by Riders Alliance.

“Better buses are possible, and it starts with us,” reads another.

Riders Alliance wants city officials to do more to give buses priority on streets to improve commutes for the millions of New Yorkers who ride them.

But while the MTA runs the buses themselves, it’s the city Department of Transportation’s job to make sure they have room to operate on the streets.

Initiatives like busways — which ban most private car traffic from certain streets — in recent years have improved bus speeds. For example, a busway launched on Main St. in Flushing, Queens, last year boosted MTA bus speeds by 50%, data show.

The advocates want DOT officials to build more busways and paint more bus lanes — and question whether the city will make good on Mayor Adams’ promise to install 20 new miles of bus lanes in 2022.

“Bus riders’ time matters,” said Jolyse Race, an organizer at Riders Alliance. “These ads activate riders to demand our time back and hold our politicians accountable for their promises to improve bus service.

Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority show the agency’s buses run at an average pace of 8 mph, the same speed as before the pandemic.

“We may have the slowest buses in the nation today but if we come together and fight for change, we will win much better service,” Race said.

The ads at city bus shelters did not need Transportation Department approval. In exchange for building and maintaining bus shelters, the company JC Decaux gets to pick ads for the shelters and collect money from them.

Transportation Department officials don’t seem to mind that their work is being criticized on city bus shelters. “We appreciate Riders Alliance’s advocacy on behalf of bus riders and look forward to working with the MTA on exciting new projects across the boroughs,” said spokesman Vin Barone.