MTA Announces 142 Buses to Provide Reserved Stroller Spaces

By Yehudit Garmaise

Starting next week, 142 buses citywide will each feature a reserved space for one open stroller, reported the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) after commissioning a group to improve customer service for passengers pushing strollers.

The dedicated stroller spaces will allow customers with young children to board and ride the bus without first needing to fold their strollers.

The MTA is creating the extra spaces for strollers by opening space near buses’ rear doors, or by flipping up two side-by-side seats: depending on buses’ models.

The designated open stroller spaces are entirely separate from existing priority seating for bus riders with disabilities, who will continue to see the number of designated spaces. 

While none of the bus routes with designated stroller spaces in place are in Boro Park, the MTA is just starting to implement the test program that will likely result in dedicated stroller spaces in all the bus routes citywide.

For now, the MTA will be offering dedicated stroller spaces on the following seven routes: M31, B1, Bx23, Q50, Q12, S53 and S93.

The MTA’s current stroller policy that requires parents to take children out of strollers before boarding will remain in effect for all other city buses for now.

Easily identifiable stroller stickers on the outside of buses will help customers to identify which buses features the dedicated stroller spaces, which will also be identified with the stroller decals.

“Babies and their parents deserve a place to travel on the bus, just like everyone else,” said Jessica Murray, Ph.D., Chair of the MTA’s Advisory Committee on Transit Accessibility (ACTA) and Working Group Member. “Working together, bus operators, parents, and disabled riders were able to hear each other's perspectives.