The M60 across Manhattan during rush hour: What a mistake

We all know what kind of debacle the operations of the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) have become lately with budget cuts, service cuts and an $800-million budget deficit. I am sure it is hard enough to be a part of such a hapless and woeful organization, so I won't pile on the "I hate the MTA" bandwagon as much as I'd like to. I'll just let my little M60 bus excursion from last week speak for itself.

My girlfriend and I decided to rent a car to head to New Hampshire for the weekend. Seeing as though the only cheap rental cars can be found at LaGuardia Airport, we undertook the fun little task of taking the M60 bus from 125^th Street and Frederick Douglas Avenue on a Thursday evening during rush hour.

Now, normally, one would think that public transportation to a major airport would be something a New York City citizen could rely on. I mean, how else can we be expected to traverse six miles across bridges, through traffic and onto the interstate without having to pay $30 and up for a cab? The M60 bus is the only option. So, we waited for the bus. And waited and waited and waited. We saw 10 M101 buses go by. We saw five Q32 buses go by. But not a single M60 came or went across 125^th Street. We were some of the lucky ones, as the rest of the people waiting had flights to catch! After over an hour, I caught a glimpse of a bus coming around the corner. I had confused enough M101s for M60s already to not get my hopes up, and sure enough, it was another M101. Since the MTA website seemed to think that all buses were running on schedule (I was able to check on my Blackberry at www.MTA.info), I thought that maybe the M101 bus driver had heard something about M60s being delayed. I figured that if anyone knew or could find out it would be him.

So, I asked the M101 driver if he had heard anything about the M60s, as it was close to an hour now since we had seen one pass in either direction. He responded with a lackadaisical shrug of the shoulders and a sheepish "I don't know." I'd like to blame him for his ignorance, but it is the MTA that doesn't know anything, especially how to successfully operate a public transportation system!

But I digress. The M60 eventually came, and as we moved along the molasses pace of 125^th traffic, the bus became more and more crowded after each stop. Eventually, people jumped into the back doors, eschewing the required fare altogether. I was elbowed, shoved and groped and even got a stink eye from a guy with a seat whom I accidentally bumped into. If you don't want some physical contact, buddy, the M60 is not for you!

We crept along 125^th Street until we got to the RFK Bridge and into Queens. We got to the rental car agency and were immediately stuck in traffic. But after the ride on the M60 across upper Manhattan and over to LaGuardia, Homer's "Odyssey" sounded like a walk in the park. I couldn't have been happier!

Source:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/new-york-s-mta-borrows-600-million-as-deficit-curtails-subway-bus-lines.html