Government Run Transit-A Brief History-Bus Lines

In New York City, there used to be so many privately-run Bus Lines, which operate through the use of a franchise from the NYC Department Of Transportation. Some were even trolley lines.

One of the operators was the Brooklyn-Queens Transit Company, which ran both Bus and Trolley Lines. It was a subsidiary of the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit Company, which ran Elevated and Subway Lines. The BMT Corporation once traded on the New York Stock Exchange for $65 per share.

On June 1st, 1940, the City Of New York acquired the Lines of Subway and Bus/Trolley Lines from The BMT Company. Operation of these lines was given over to the Board of Transportation, NYC Department of Transportation's Predecessor. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company ceased to exist on June 2nd, 1940, coming under B.O.T. control, along with the already City-Controlled Independent City Owned Subway System.

In Manhattan and The Bronx, Fifth Avenue Coach and Surface Transit Corporation, operated Bus Services. In 1962, those companies were taken over by the Manhattan And Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, a Non-Civil Service Subsidiary of The New York City Transit Authority. NYCTA was created by the NY State Legislature to take over transit operations from the B.O.T. In 1953.

But, there were a number of Franchised Bus Companies in operation. One, West Broadway and Avenue A, was the last franchise Local Line in Manhattan until 1980, when NYCTA took it over. In The Bronx, Liberty Lines Transit still has local service running in the Northern Bronx, connecting with Subway and Rail Services.

Queens used to be home to Queens Surface, Green Bus Lines, Triborough Coach Corporation and Jamaica Buses Incorporated. The last three were owned by GTJ Holdings Incorporated.

The NYCTA is the predecessor agency for the current Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a New York State Agency. The MTA set up another agency called MTA Bus Company, which took over the local and express bus companies in Queens, Brooklyn and The Bronx. The Brooklyn Company called Command Bus, ran mostly express lines, one local Brooklyn Line and one limited stop bus line and was owned by GTJ Holdings. In The Bronx, New York Bus Service, mostly an express bus company along with Liberty Lines Express, became part of MTA Bus. Liberty Lines Transit still operates one express bus line to Manhattan.

Staten Island still has Atlantic Express as a franchise express bus line. Brooklyn still has Private Transportation Company as the lone franchise company, running from Borough Park to Williamsburgh Brooklyn, to serve the two Chasaidic Jewish Communities.

Why so many governmental takeovers of these lines? Quite-Simply, Government believes it could run things more- efficiently. If you believe that, there's a 127 Year old Bridge to Brooklyn I can sell you.

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