New York Bus Service was a private bus company in New York City. Originally a school bus company founded in the mid-1940s, it was known for providing express bus service between Midtown Manhattan and eastern sections of the Bronx from 1970 until July 1, 2005, when the city (MTA) assumed the company's operations from longtime owner Edward Arrigoni. Former NYBS routes operate under the MTA Bus Company brand of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, out of the former NYBS facility in Eastchester, Bronx.
History The company began as the "station wagons-for-hire" business of Ferdinand E. Arrigoni. It was officially founded in either 1944 or 1945 under the name Parochial Bus Service to provide school bus service. It began operating racetrack]services from the Bronx and Upper Manhattan in 1949, then operating as New York Bus Tours. In 1964, contemporary owner Edward F. Arrigoni took over the company after the death of his father. The company later operated service to the 1964 New York World's Fair (under the subsidiary Ferdinand Arrigoni, Inc.) and to New York Mets games at Shea Stadium beginning in 1966, both from the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The Shea Stadium service would also operate from Fordham Plaza, Parkchester, and several other locations in the Bronx. By 1968, the company began operating under the name New York Bus Service.
With the institution of off-track betting legislation in 1970, the demand for transportation to the race track diminished. NYBS needed to find another niche in the bus transportation sector. Under the leadership of Arrigoni, NYBS commenced Parkchester - Manhattan express bus service (now the BxM6) on August 24, 1970. Six more lines were added including a Co-Op City to Wall Street express bus service, later to be done away with. These express bus routes would run frequently during AM and PM peak periods.
City takeover and current status As part of a major takeover of the remaining private bus operators, on March 23, 2005, New York City announced it had agreed to take over NYBS operations. The city made an initial buyout payment of two million dollars for rights to the Bronx express bus lines NYBS operated. The MTA Bus Company (the successor to the private line operations) meanwhile agreed to pay Arrigoni and the other NYBS owners six million dollars annually for use of its depot and maintenance facilities for a period of twenty years, with an option to purchase afterwards. On July 1, 2005, NYBS ceased operations and the former bus routes began operating under MTA Bus. The MTA has since renamed the garage to Eastchester Depot. The large facility provides heavy maintenance services, along with a body shop for collision rebuilding and repairs for many MTA, and NYCT buses, stores "system reserve" buses, and handles much of the scrapping duties, including usable parts removal with components salvage and removal operations from all retired buses. MCI D4500 2926 was donated to the Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center in 2021, renumbered 1803 and was given a New York Bus Service livery.
Bus routes Prior to the MTA Bus takeover, NYBS operated the following express bus routes with starting dates:
Route(Name)Terminal AMajor streets of travelTerminal BNotesBronx-Manhattan ExpressBxM-6(ParkchesterExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: East 177th Street, Metropolitan AvenueParkchesterMetropolitan OvalEstablished; August 24, 1970BxM-7(Co-Op CityExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: Hutchinson River Parkway East, Co-Op City BoulevardCo-op CityDreiser LoopEstablished January 18, 1971BxM-7A(Pelham BayExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: Westchester Avenue, Bruckner BoulevardPelham BayPelham Bay Park subway station()Established; January 10, 1972 Now BxM-8BxM-7B(City IslandExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: Westchester Avenue, Bruckner BoulevardCity IslandCity Island Avenue and Rochelle StreetCity Island Express Schedule (New York Bus Services; Archived from April 6, 2005.)Established; January 7, 1980. Eliminated by the MTA on June 27, 2010, due to budget cuts. Replaced by two extended BxM8 trips.BxM-9(Throggs NeckExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: Randall Avenue, Harding Avenue, Throgs Neck Boulevard (outbound), Clarence Avenue (inbound)Throggs NeckLayton Avenue and Ellsworth AvenueEstablished; August 2, 1976BxM-10(Morris ParkExpress)Midtown ManhattanEast 23rd Street and Madison Avenue Manhattan: 5th Avenue (southbound), 3rd and Madison Avenues (northbound), 72nd Street (eastbound)Bronx: Morris Park Avenue, Eastchester RoadMorris ParkMorris Park Avenue & East 180th StreetEast 180th Street subway station()Morris Park Express (New York Bus Service; Archived from April 3, 2005) or BaychesterEastchester Road and Boston RoadEstablished; January 7, 1980 Currently the northern terminus is recognized as being in WilliamsbridgeBronx Local Buses (1968–1972)Bx70Co-op CityEastchesterDyre Avenue subway station()Discontinued in 1972 due to low ridership.Bx71Co-op CityBaychester AvenueWakefieldWakefield-241st Street subway station()Discontinued in 1972 due to low ridership.
References
Iona College Honors Edward Arrigonni as an Alumni National Bus Trader April 1985 Issue
External links New York Bus Service at nybus.com (available via the Internet Archive) New York Bus Tours/New York Bus Service (BusTalk U.S. Surface Transportation Galleries)