Research · Updated Oct 6, 2026

Evaluations, proposals and notes.

An evaluation checks a policy already in place against what happened. A proposal works out what a change would give riders. A note is one finding and one chart. Newest first.

Oct 6, 2026 · Note
Buses kept the gain; cars didn’t

In 2026, buses in the congestion zone are still about 2.4% faster than the same routes outside it. Taxis and Ubers ran about 2% faster than uptown Manhattan in 2025; so far in 2026 they are back level with it (−1%, within the margin of error). Bus lanes and enforcement keep a bus moving once traffic creeps back.

Change in speed from congestion pricing. Buses: routes inside the zone against the same routes outside it (MTA bus speeds). Taxis and Uber/Lyft: trips inside the zone against trips in Manhattan above 60 St (NYC TLC trip records). Weekdays, 6 am to 8 pm. 2026 runs through August. From the congestion pricing evaluation.
Oct 6, 2026 · Evaluation
Did bus cameras keep lanes clear?

−40%tickets per bus-hour within a year of cameras starting on a route
Drivers blocked lanes and stops less. Bus speeds on lane streets didn’t move measurably (−0.2%, 95% interval −1.1 to +0.6), against about +3.3% from the lanes themselves.
Read it
Oct 6, 2026 · Evaluation
Did free buses bring more riders?

+30%weekday riders on the five free routes in 2023–24, against 6% on all buses
Yes, mostly people who already rode them, riding more often: only 12% were new. Nearby routes lost about 5% of their paying riders and won them back when fares returned. It cost about $4 per extra trip, and buses didn’t get faster.
Read it
Oct 5, 2026 · Evaluation
Did congestion pricing speed up buses?

3.5%faster buses inside the zone in 2025, against the same routes outside it
Yes, and buses kept most of it in 2026. The study also counts the time saved by everyone on the road in the zone, about 5.6 million hours in 2025, and follows taxis and Ubers, which sped up at first and then lost the gain.
Read it
Oct 5, 2026 · Proposal
Bus lanes on the 12 streets where buses lose the most time

700hoursback to riders every weekday, worth about $3.5 million a year
Flatbush Av and Broadway save the most in all. The 3.3% gain behind the sums is measured, from 53 stretches of road that got a new lane from 2023 to 2025.
Read it
Oct 5, 2026 · Proposal
Which bus stops are too close together?

600hourssaved by riders each day, with extra walking counted twice
About 1,000 quieter stops within 750 ft of the next one, on 40 routes. Spacing every route to a quarter mile instead would cost riders time, not save it.
Read it

In progress

Policies we are checking now. Each gets a page if the numbers hold up.

More subway serviceWhen the MTA runs trains more often, do waits get shorter and do more people ride?

Buses kept the gain; cars didn’t

Did bus cameras keep lanes clear?

Did free buses bring more riders?

Did congestion pricing speed up buses?

Bus lanes on the 12 streets where buses lose the most time

Which bus stops are too close together?

In progress