Red buses are a benefit for Roosevelt Islanders, although not for all of them. They are also sources of aggravation and confusion. We can’t do much about the annoyances, but we can clear up some confusion.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
In all the online discussions about Roosevelt Island’s free Main Street shuttles, one point is frequently missed. That is, while everyone pays for RIOC in a general way, only a few rely heavily on Red Buses. The center of gravity for the community shifted south years ago. For most residents in Southtown, the free rides are, at best, a distraction.
After all, there are two stops in Southtown – at the transportation hubs. And they pick up and drop off passengers mostly from convenient building stops north of Westview. That makes sense, although the history has been forgotten or never known by many.
Manhattan Park and the Red Buses
Roosevelt Island has always had RIOC buses, and except for a few years, they have always been free. With the Tram as the main source for travel to the big island of Manhattan, they were key to building a community. When Manhattan Park, the first market rate rental complex, went up, circa 1990, increased demand meant more and bigger buses.
Because Roosevelt Island was a hard sell then, Manhattan Park’s managers cut a deal with RIOC. Manhattan Park paid for, not just buses but for the north extension of Motorgate. The complex still pays extra for buses. The partnership at Motorgate continues.
Then came a lucky development. Nobody expected The Octagon to become anything better than a historic relic. Developers revived it as the centerpiece of new housing. Roosevelt Island’s newest residents needed Red Buses too. The old terminal turn around at the FDNY water rescue station went away. It was replaced by a new stop in front of The Octagon.
What Went Wrong?
For years, all parties fulfilled their ends of the arrangement. Residents paid through rents, some more than others, and RIOC kept the routes active. But bigger meant less of the community feel. Newcomers would be surprised if they went back in time. A lot of residents knew the drivers on a personal level. They greeted each other by name on boarding.
That’s gone now, and so has reliability. Although demand grew, RIOC’s commitment didn’t. That’s returning now with new, interim leadership, but there’s a giant gap to fill.
At RIOC’s September board meeting, Acting Chief Operating Officer Mary Cunneen said that Roosevelt Island needs eight buses in meeting its 7-day a week needs for transportation. Q102 buses also run regular Main Street routes, but most residents wait for free Red Buses instead.
After years of fiscal mismanagement, RIOC’s interim leadership found itself digging out of multiple holes they inherited. On the plus side, they brought a new commitment to doing things the right way. Resident needs came back into focus, keyed by Associate General Counsel Gerrald Ellis’s passion for Roosevelt Island. It caught on,
On the negative side, there were so many holes, and they were so big.
Finding Ways To Fix the Red Bus Mess
After the neglected bus fleet dangled just above rock bottom with only a single bus handling all routes all day, RIOC scrapped its old ways of doing business. Duct tape and baling wire weren’t enough anymore. Cunneen and Community Relations Manager Bryant Daniels swung into a higher gear. They did things predecessors never pulled off before.
Not all residents were happy, but with support from Chief Financial Officer Dhru Amin, they brought in a new, versatile mini-bus, immediately relieving some of the load. That wasn’t enough. Along with Transportation Manager Eddie Perez, they managed a breakthrough with the MTA. After decades of disconnect, the much larger transportation giant began assisting in any way possible.
MTA managers helped access needed repair parts and shared their experience in handling repairs and routine maintenance. The results came quickly. Within days, the fleet inventory jumped from one to four with the small new bus pitching in.
The situation today
Red Bus status remains tenuous. While four of them are available for daily services, that’s still only half of the ideal count. And they are old. Really old. One got towed out of the scrap yard, the mechanical equivalent of surviving a near death experience. Any or all of them could fail at any moment.
All fingers are crossed until two new buses arrive around the first of the year. Even that won’t bring inventory anywhere near what’s needed. More purchases will challenge RIOC’s already shaky budget.
And this week, an old nemesis returned: a driver shortage. Interim leadership thought they had this covered, but unexpected call outs left them shy.
Although bumps in an already bumpy road are inevitable, RIOC has kept most planned routes running. Octagon Express and Shoppers buses have been canceled or curtailed.
No easy solution exists but Red Bus riders can help themselves and others with some simple courtesies.
- Don’t clog the aisles with bags and shopping carts. Getting on an off quickly helps everyone.
- Remember that strollers are for “strolling.” If you must use a bus in bad weather, fold the stroller. If you’ve got too much stuff for that, don’t bring so much stuff.
- Remember that everyone gets no more than a single seat, and some of those seats are reserved for folks with physical challenges. It’s sickening but routine seeing people leaning on canes or walkers in the aisle while young and able-bodied sit in reserved seats. When did we become that selfish?
- Thank the drivers for their work. It’s a hard job running Main Street routes, and it’s harder when your work is unappreciated.
- Practice patience.
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.
