MANHATTAN — The MTA is re-jiggering schedules for some of its buses that go down Lexington Avenue and up Third Avenue.
The transit agency is proposing to increase the M101’s midday service, while decreasing the M102 and M103, starting in September.
“We want to make sure service reflects current ridership and operating conditions,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz, of the schedule shifts, which are often done three or four times a year to respond to shifting straphanger patterns.
The M101, which travels between Fort George Avenue in Washington Heights down Lexington Avenue to Astor Place and back up Third Avenue, will see its midday waits decrease by one minute, from 10 to nine minutes, MTA officials said. In the evening, the wait will extend by a minute to eight minutes.
The M102, on the other hand, which connects Harlem at West 147th Street to East Sixth Street in the East Village will see its midday wait increase three minutes from 12 to 15 minutes. The M103, whose route stretches from East Harlem’s East 125th Street down to City Hall, will see the same changes made. The M102 will see its evening waits expand by a minute to 10 minutes. The M103’s evening commute will remain the same.
The M101’s capacity during the midday commute is presently 109 percent, Ortiz said, noting the increased service is expected to bring that down to 93 percent.
The M102 is at 51 percent capacity and the M103 is at 43 percent capacity during midday, he noted.
Neither City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin’s office nor City Councilman Dan Garodnick’s office have heard complaints from constituents along the route about the proposed changes.
Community Board 8’s Transportation Committee will have a public hearing on these proposed changes on Wednesday, July 11, 6:30 p.m. at the New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th St., conference room 1 and 2.
