New York Bus

Taking a New York bus is safe and easy, although it is not suitable for those in a hurry. If you no longer want to walk, then riding the bus is a great way to see New York. The buses are blue and white and all have a number and a sign on them digitally displaying the destination. There are several types of buses in New York. Read more about how to take the bus in New York and how to pay for the bus.

How to take the bus in New York

If you want to take the bus in New York, you need to know which bus to board and where to get off. You can do so by downloading the free bus map of New York bus here.

Get on the bus and ride it wherever you need to go. When your stop is approaching, you can pull the yellow cord along the window or press one of the red stop buttons. You can exit the bus through the rear doors.

Buses only stop at designated stops during the day. Between 22:00 and 05:00, you can ask the driver to stop anywhere along the designated route. All buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts. At night, the bus is a safe alternative to the subway.

How to pay for the bus in New York

A bus ride costs only $2.90 and can be paid using the same MetroCard that you use for the subway. You can also pay by exact change (silver coins only) or use contactless payment with OMNY, credit card, or Apple Pay on your phone (linked to a credit card). With an Unlimited MetroCard, you can also use this to pay the fare on all New York buses.

With your MetroCard or OMNY, you can automatically switch to another bus or ride the subway. If you pay with cash, then you need to request a transfer ticket from the driver for your next ride.

Bus Types in New York

There are a few different types of buses used for public transport in New York:

Local buses and Limited (LTD) buses

The local buses can be seen as regular buses that stop at every bus stop. For a faster ride, you can take the Limited (LTD) buses. These buses look like the local buses but they make fewer stops. You can recognise them by the “LTD” on the front of the bus and the purple signage at the bus stops. On these buses, you can pay with OMNY, a MetroCard or exact coins.

Select Bus Service (SBS)

The Select Bus Service (SBS) works in a slightly different manner than the local and limited buses. The SBS buses make fewer stops, are only found on priority routes, and can be boarded at any door. One regulation, to help improve the efficiency of these buses, is that travellers must pay before boarding the bus, instead of on the bus. There are vending machines at the bus stops, which you can use to pay for the ride. You can either use your MetroCard, or pay cash at the machines. You’ll receive a receipt which you need to keep throughout your ride. Or you can tap to pay with OMNY when you enter the bus, so no need to get a ticket before boarding.

Express buses

The Express buses run between boroughs and mainly operate during rush hours. It costs $7 to ride one of the express buses. You can pay with your MetroCard or OMNY.