You don't need H.G. Wells' time machine to travel back to mid-century New York City this holiday season.
The MTA is running its fleet of historic buses from river to river on Manhattan's 42nd Street starting Dec. 5, the agency said in a release Wednesday.
As part of the MTA's annual holiday tradition, passengers can ride in a vintage coach along the M42 bus route between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays through Dec. 21 for the price of a MetroCard swipe. (Except in the case of rainy, snowy or icy weather.)
The interior of a vintage MTA bus (credit: MTA/Patrick Cashen)
The historic bus fleet includes vehicles manufactured by General Motors and Mack, dating back to the late 1940s to early 1970s. One 1949 model resembles the bus Jackie Gleason's character Ralph Cramden drove in the 1950s sitcom "The Honeymooners." Another model, introduced in 1956, can be identified by its two-tone green color scheme and fiberglass seating, an update on cushioned seats that were often vandalized.
Mid-century buses aren't the only old-school transit service the MTA is restoring for the holidays; the agency is set to run its vintage train fleet on the M line every Sunday from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18.
