MTA Unveils New Tech-Friendly Buses With Wi-Fi, Charging Ports

Just a few months after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to bring the New York City subway system into the 21st century, it looks like MTA buses will be following suit. The governor’s office revealed plans today for a new batch of 2,042 city buses that will be equipped with tech-friendly touches like Wi-Fi hotspots and USB charging ports. It’s all part of an effort to “create a stronger, more convenient and more connected mass transit system for years to come,” per Governor Cuomo.

Each bus will be equipped with between 35 and 55 charging ports, depending on the make and model; buses will also get a new look, which Governor Cuomo apparently likened to a Ferrari, which, lol. In the first wave of the rollout effort, 75 of these swanky new rides will hit the road in Queens by the end of this year; later waves will go in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, with all 2,042 expected to be on the road by 2020. The projected cost: $1.3 billion.

http://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/8/11182274/mta-governor-cuomo-new-nyc-bus

With big transit questions pending, Cuomo hails a ‘very attractive’ bus

 

New York City is getting some new buses, and Governor Andrew Cuomo — a noted gearhead — thinks they’re lookers.

“I’d like to congratulate the MTA on the design of the bus,” said the governor, at his office in Midtown. “I think it’s very attractive. It has that European flair to it. I think it has almost a Ferrari-like look.”

The day after advocates traveled to Albany and demanded Cuomo explain how he plans to fund his portion of the MTA’s belated and still-unapproved $26 billion capital plan, Cuomo held a press conference to tout one element of that partially funded program: more than 2,000 new buses by the end of the decade.

“These are not going to be your father’s buses,” said Cuomo. “You know, it’s a new day.”

Tags:

• ALBANY
• ANDREW CUOMO
• BUSES
• INFRASTRUCTURE
• MTA
• NICOLE GELINAS
• TOM PRENDERGAST
• TRANSPORTATION