Riders will be getting a free ride beginning Sunday on five New York City bus routes.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is rolling out a $15 million, taxpayer-funded pilot program on one route in each of the five boroughs.
The free rides are expected to last anywhere from six to 12 months.
The routes are:
- Bronx: The BX18 A/B, which runs from a loop from High Bridge to Morris Heights
- Brooklyn: The B60, which runs from Canarsie all the way to Williamsburg
- Manhattan: The crosstown M116 that links Central and East Harlem
- Queens: The Q4 that runs along Linden Blvd, Merrick Blvd and Archer Avenue
- Staten Island: And the S46 that runs between the St. George Ferry Terminal and the West Shore Plaza Shopping Center and its limited stop twin, S96
The transit lines were selected based on several factors: overall ridership, fare evasion, fairness for lower socio-economic communities, and commercial activity.
The pilot will not include free transfers to buses or subway lines.
The free bus service is expected to serve 43,900 riders per weekday.
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