M15 (New York City bus)

The First and Second Avenues Line, also known as the Second Avenue Line, is a bus line in Manhattan, New York City, running mostly along Second Avenue (and northbound on First Avenue since 1951) from Lower Manhattan to East Harlem. Originally a streetcar line along Second Avenue, it is now the M15 bus route, the second busiest bus route in the city (behind the Bx12) and the busiest in Manhattan, with an annual ridership of over 15.5 million.[4] MTA Regional Bus Operations, under the New York City Bus and Select Bus Service brands, operates the local out of the Tuskegee Airmen Bus Depot and the SBS is operated from the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot. Service is operated exclusively with articulated buses.

For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Manhattan and Select Bus Service.

m15
First and Second Avenues Line
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorNew York City Transit Authority
GarageTuskegee Airmen Depot (local)
Mother Clara Hale Depot (SBS)
VehicleNova Bus LFS articulated
New Flyer XD60 Xcelsior
LiverySelect Bus Service (except local service)
Route
LocaleManhattan
StartEast Harlem – 126th Street
ViaFirst Avenue (northbound)
Second Avenue (southbound)
Allen Street
Water Street
EndPike Street / Cherry Street (local)
South Ferry (local and SBS)
Length8.6 miles (13.8 km)[1] (southbound)
Service
Operates24 hours; no SBS or Cherry Street service at night[2][3]
Annual patronage13,610,947 (2017)[4]
TransfersYes
TimetableM15 M15 SBS
← M14A/D SBS
← B82 SBS (by borough)
← Bx12 SBS (by route number)		  {{{system_nav}}}  M20 →
M23 SBS →
M23 SBS →


History
An M15 local bus stops at VA Hospital, heading uptown.

The Second Avenue Railroad opened the line in 1853 and 1854, from Peck Slip on the East River north along Pearl Street, Bowery (shared with the Third Avenue Line), Grand Street, Chrystie Street, and Second Avenue to East Harlem. A short branch was later built along Stuyvesant Street and Astor Place to end at Broadway in NoHo. The Metropolitan Street Railway leased the line in January 1898, and on April 3 the line from Astor Place to Manhattan was electrified. The original line was later electrified to the Bowery, where streetcars used the Third Avenue Line to City Hall, and the line to Peck Slip was abandoned.

Buses were substituted for streetcars by the East Side Omnibus Corporation on June 25, 1933. The New York City Board of Transportation took over operations in 1948, with the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) replacing it in 1953.

Limited-stop service began on September 13, 1976, with buses making only 15 stops, spaced every eight blocks, between 126th Street and Houston Street, saving riders up to 23 minutes. Limited-stop service ran every six minutes on weekdays, heading southbound in the morning, between 7:12 and 9:21 a.m., and northbound in the afternoon, between 4:12 and 6:11 p.m.[5] These buses were identified by signs on the lower right side of the windshield.[6] As part of the project, new dedicated bus lanes were installed.

On September 7, 1987, a public hearing was held to discuss the NYCTA's plan to reduce the span of weekend evening M15 service to City Hall and Park Row from ending at 12:40 a.m. to ending at 8:10 P.M.. In addition, the hours of weekday service were to be lengthened slightly. The changes were to be made to provide more uniform service frequency and service pattern.[7]

In June 2002 as part of an outside study, the First/Second Avenues corridor was identified for the implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) service, due to heavy ridership and slow travel speeds on the corridor.[8][9] In late 2004, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation selected the route as one of the candidates for bus rapid transit service, along with Fordham Road (since implemented), Nostrand Avenue, Merrick Boulevard, and Hylan Boulevard. This evolved into Phase I of the Select Bus Service (SBS) program in 2006.[8][10][11][12] On October 10, 2010, service began on the M15 Select Bus Service, replacing limited stop service.[12][13][14][15] By then, the MTA had discontinued service to City Hall due to budget cuts. Both the M15 local and M15 SBS were previously assigned to the 126th Street Depot until January 5, 2015.[16]

Select Bus Service stops
Station
Street traveled		 Direction Connections
South Ferry
Whitehall Terminal		 Southbound terminal,
northbound station

NYC Bus: M20, M55
NYC Subway:  1 ​  N  ​ R  ​ W  trains at South Ferry/Whitehall Street
Staten Island Ferry

Wall Street
Water Street		 Bidirectional

Downtown Connection: Downtown Loop

Fulton Street
South Street Seaport
Catherine Street
Madison Street

NYC Bus: M22 (eastbound only)

Hester / Grand Streets

NYC Subway:  B  ​ D  trains at Grand Street

Houston Street Southbound only

NYC Bus: M21
NYC Subway:  F   <F> ​ trains at Second Avenue

North of Houston Street, southbound service uses Second Avenue and northbound service uses First Avenue
First Street Northbound only

NYC Subway:  F   <F> ​ trains at Second Avenue

14th Street Bidirectional

NYC Bus: M14A SBS, M14D SBS
NYC Subway:  L  train at First Avenue (northbound only)

23rd / 25th Streets
VA Hospital

NYC Bus: M9, M23 SBS, M34A SBS

28th / 29th Streets
Bellevue Hospital

NYC Bus: M9, M34A SBS

34th Street
NYU Langone Medical Center

NYC Bus: M34 / 34A SBS (M34A westbound only on First Avenue)

42nd / 44th Streets
United Nations

NYC Bus: M42

50th Street

NYC Bus: M50

57th / 58th Streets

NYC Bus and MTA Bus: M31, M57, Q32, Q60, Q101

67th Street

NYC Bus: M66 (Eastbound on 68th Street, westbound on 67th Street)

79th Street

NYC Bus: M79 SBS

86th Street

NYC Bus: M86 SBS
NYC Subway:  N  ​ Q  ​ R  at 86th Street

97th Street
Metropolitan Hospital		 Northbound only

NYC Bus: M96

95th Street Southbound only

NYC Bus: M96
NYC Subway:  N  ​ Q  ​ R  at 96th Street

106th Street Bidirectional

NYC Bus: M106

115th / 116th Streets

NYC Bus: M116 (at 116th Street)

125th Street

NYC Bus: M35, M60 SBS, M100, Bx15

126th Street Northbound terminus,
southbound station

References
  1. Google (May 8, 2017). "M15" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  2. MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M15 bus schedule" (PDF).
  3. MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M15 SBS bus schedule" (PDF).
  4. "Facts and Figures". mta.info. August 28, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  5. "To Speed You On Your Way..." Flickr. New York City Transit Authority. 1976. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  6. "Metropolitan Briefs". The New York Times. September 13, 1976. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  7. "M15 Public Hearing Handout on Span of Service to City Hall" (PDF). www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu. New York City Transit Authority. August 27, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  8. "First Avenue/Second Avenue SBS Community Advisory Committee Meeting" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. September 23, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  9. "Bus Rapid Transit For New York City" (PDF). Schaller Consulting, Transportation Alternatives, New York Public Interest Research Group. June 2002. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  10. "Bus Rapid Transit: NYCBRT Study" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2005. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  11. "Select Bus Service on the Bx12: A BRT Partnership Between the New York City DOT and MTA New York City Transit" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. January 12, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  12. "+selectbusservice M15 on First and Second Avenues: Progress Report" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. November 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  13. "MTA Bus Company Committee Meeting Materials, July 2010" (PDF). p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 25, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  14. "Select Bus Service - First Avenue/Second Avenue" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  15. Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 10, 2010). "Rolling Out Speedier Bus System, to Glitches and Grumbles". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  16. Gartland, Michael (June 22, 2014). "Bus depot to become memorial for slaves found buried there". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

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External video
SBS Bus Wrapping, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; October 12, 2010; 1:48 YouTube video clip
How to Ride the M15 Select Bus Service, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; October 20, 2010; 2:10 YouTube video clip
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