Varsity Bus Company is a former school bus operator in New York City. This company was established in 2003 when it acquired some of the school bus routes that had been operated by Varsity Transit, a sister company that had operated from 1965 to 2003. Varsity ceased operations by the 2010s, and the headquarters of Varsity were later used by Total Transportation and L&M Bus Corp.

From 1979 until 2005, Varsity Transit affiliate Command Bus Company operated two local and seven express transit bus routes, routes that are now operated by MTA Bus Company. Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company were 40-percent owned by Green Bus Lines, 40-percent owned by Triboro Coach, and 20-percent owned by Jamaica Central Railways. Varsity Bus Company is owned by former executives of Green Bus Lines.

Command Bus

Command Bus traces its history to Pioneer Bus Corporation, established in 1954 by three small school bus and charter bus operators. Until 1960, when it obtained a franchise for the current B100, it only operated school, charter, and racetrack buses. Several express buses were implemented in 1972. Command Bus Company was incorporated October 22, 1979 by the late Mr. William Cooper (1895-1985) to resume bus service following a long strike at Pioneer, which went out of the express and local bus business when the strike started.

Like its corporate owners Green Bus Lines, Triboro Coach, and Jamaica Central Railways, the late Mr. Jerome Cooper (1928-2015) was the chairman of the board of both Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company. Originally co-housed with Varsity Transit, the operations of Command were eventually moved into a new NYCDOT facility at Spring Creek Depot, 12755 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn (this garage was leased by MTA Bus following the transfer of Command Bus Company routes to MTA Bus in 2005), it was previously built and owned by the New York City Department of Transportation before being sold to MTA Bus in early 2009).

In 1988, two Command buses were fitted by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company with engines which operated on compressed natural gas (CNG). By the mid-1990s, many of the buses operated by Command ran on CNG.

Bus routes

Command operated the following routes, which after the MTA takeover continued to be operated out of the Spring Creek Bus Depot:

Route(Name)Terminal AMajor streets of travelTerminal BNotesBrooklyn LocalB100(Mill Basin Local)MidwoodEast 16th Street and Quentin Roadat Kings Highway () Quentin Road, Fillmore Avenue, East 66th StreetMill Basin56th Drive and Strickland AvenueNo overnight service.B103(Canarsie Limited)CanarsieWilliams Avenue and Flatlands Avenue All trips: East 105th Street, Avenue M, East 80th Street, Avenue H Downtown Brooklyn trips: Cortelyou Road, 3rd/4th Avenues, Livingston Street, Cadman Plaza West/Adams StreetDowntown BrooklynTillary Street and Adams Streetat Cadman Plaza- or -MidwoodFlatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenueat Flatbush Avenue ()Full route and no overnight service.Brooklyn-Manhattan expressBM-1(Mill Basin Express)Manhattan Northbound: Trinity Place, Church Street, Park Place, Broadway, Park Row, Frankfort Street, FDR Drive, 23rd Street, Madison Avenue Southbound: 5th Avenue, 23rd Street, FDR Drive, Water Street, State Street, Battery Place Downtown Loop only: Park Place, Broadway, Park Row, Frankfort Street, Pearl Street, Water Street, State Street, Battery Place Brooklyn: Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Ocean Avenue, Avenue K, East 66th StreetMill Basin56th Drive and Strickland Avenue- or -Bergen BeachAvenue U and 71st Street?BM-2(Canarsie Express)Midtown Manhattan Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue H, East 80th Street, Avenue M, Pennsylvania Avenue (downtown trips only) CanarsieFlatlands Avenue and Williams AvenueBM-2S(Starrett City Express; via Flatlands Avenue)Lower ManhattanStarrett CityPennsylvania and Seaview Avenues.Runs as BM2 under the MTA.BM-3(Kingsbay Express)ManhattanBrooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Ocean Avenue, Batchelder Street, Shore Parkway, Emmons AvenueSheepshead BayEmmons Avenue and Shore BoulevardBM-4(Gerritsen Beach Express)Midtown ManhattanEast 57th Street and 2nd AvenueGerritsen BeachGerritsen Avenue and Lois AvenueOperated by Erin Tours until 1988. Originally went on Nostrand Avenue between Avenue K and Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush Avenue between Nostrand Avenue and Cortelyou Road, instead of Avenue K and Ocean Avenue. Midtown service via Downtown area operates all day. Midtown express service bypassing Downtown area operates weekday peak rush hours. Downtown service operates weekday peak rush hours.BQM-1(Starrett City Express)Midtown ManhattanEast 57th Street and 2nd AvenueManhattan:- 34th Street, 5th Avenue (southbound), Madison Avenue (northbound)Brooklyn: Linden Boulevard, Ashford Street, Cozine Avenue, Van Siclen Avenue, Vandalia Avenue, Pennsylvania AvenueQueens:Queens–Midtown Tunnel, Long Island Expressway, Woodhaven Boulevard, Cross Bay BoulevardStarrett CityPennsylvania Avenue and Seaview Avenue Formerly made only one stop in Queens, at 79th Street in Lindenwood. Expanded Queens service along Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards began April 2010. Last pickup to Manhattan and first dropoff from Manhattan is in Rego Park/Middle Village. No Downtown service; Downtown service provided by weekday rush hour BM2 service. Renumbered as BM5 on July 16, 2007.Special Services; All discontinued in 2001Green Bus Lines, Command Bus Company, Jamaica Buses, and Triboro Coach Routes (Archive.org)BMJ-1(Meadowlands Special for Sheepshead Bay) Meadowlands RacewayAvenue Z, Coney Island Avenue, Avenue M, 23rd Avenue, 65th Street, 19th Avenue, 86th Street, 4th Avenue, Flatbush AvenueSheepshead BayEast 15th Street and Sheephead Bay Roadat Sheepshead Bay ()BMJ-2(Meadowlands Special for Starrett City)Flatlands Avenue, Avenue M, Kings Highway, Nostrand Avenue, Flatbush AvenueStarrett CityPennsylvania Avenue and Flatlands AvenueBQ-5(Race Track Special for Bay Ridge)Aqueduct Raceway- or -Belmont ParkAll Routes: 86th Street, 19th Avenue, 65th Street, 23rd Avenue, Avenue M, Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard Aqueduct Route: Centerville Street, Rockaway Boulevard Belmont Park Route: Springfield Boulevard, Hempstead TurnpikeBay Ridge86th Street and 4th Avenueat 86th St ()BQ-10(Race Track Special for Midwood)All Routes: Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Conduit Boulevard. Aqueduct Route: Centerville Street, Rockaway Boulevard Belmont Park Route: Springfield Boulevard, Hempstead TurnpikeMidwoodNostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenueat Flatbush Avenue ()BQ-11(Race Track Special for Coney Island) Kings Highway route: Kings Highway, Avenue M Coney Island route: Stillwell Avenue, Neptune Avenue, Ocean Parkway, Avenue Z, Nostrand Avenue, Avenue U, Mill Avenue, Ralph Avenue Both routes: Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden BoulevardConey IslandMermaid Avenue and Stillwell Avenueat Stillwell Avenue () - or -MidwoodKings Highway and East 16th Streetat Kings Highway ()BQ-12(Shea Special)Shea StadiumFlatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard, Long Island Expressway, Main Street, Roosevelt Avenue, 111th Street.FlatbushNostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenueat Flatbush Avenue ()BW-4(Yonkers Raceway Special)Yonkers Raceway86th Street, 19th Avenue, 65th Street, 23rd Avenue, Avenue M, Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Major Deegan Expressway, New York State ThruwayBay Ridge86th Street and 4th Avenueat 86th St ()

References

External links All Franchise Private Bus Lines Now Operated by MTA