Red Bus Shuttles to and from 2nd Avenue will increase greatly for this weekend, RIOC has confirmed. The aim is decreasing Tram use on a high-demand weekend.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
“We decided to start the Manhattan Red Bus shuttle earlier at 11:00 on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend to help residents with off-island travel while the F-Train is out of commission, hopefully for the final time during this track-work project,” RIOC Communications and Community Relations Director Bryant Daniels told The Daily.
The schedule repeats every hour until 7:00 p.m. with the last return trip leaving 2nd Avenue for Roosevelt Island at 7:30.
The impact will be significant as it adds a resource that reduces demand on the Tram while it’s likely at its highest.
“We really want to encourage residents to utilize this Red Bus Shuttle if possible, which can help alleviate some of the crowding we expect to see at the Tram this weekend,” Daniels said.
“The suggestion was raised by Board Member Ben Fhala, and after consulting with our Transportation Director Cy Opperman, we were able to adjust the schedule for our drivers to make it work.”
Fhala has consistently opened up community conversations with RIOC’s interim leadership since CEO Haynes and Chief Counsel Robinson were suspended.
“PSD will also have an extended presence at the Tram stations and both cabins will run concurrently (rush hour schedule) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to help keep people moving,” Daniels added.
A Different Kind of Bet
For years, Roosevelt Island did not behave like a system constrained by limits. Internally, the budget was often treated less as a boundary and more as a reservoir to be used.
