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m21
Houston Street Crosstown
An OBI Orion VII OG HEV 07.501 operating on the M21.
Overview
System MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator New York City Transit Authority
Garage Michael J. Quill Depot
Vehicle New Flyer Xcelsior XD40
Nova Bus LFS HEV
Route
Locale Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities served West Village, SoHo, Lower East Side
Start West Village – Spring St and Hudson St
West Village - 6th Avenue and Spring Street (PM rush hour)
Via Houston St
End Lower East Side – Grand Street and FDR Drive
Length2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Service
Weekend frequencyEvery 30 minutes
Operates6:30 AM-11:50 PM
Annual patronage251,553 (2022) [1]
TransfersYes
Timetable M21
←  M20  {{{system_nav}}}  M22 →

The M21 bus route constitutes a public transit line in Manhattan, New York City. The M21 operates between the West Village and the Lower East Side, serving as a Houston Street crosstown.

Current route

The M21 bus route begins at Spring St at Hudson St in the West Village. Eastbound buses use Sixth Avenue to access Houston Street, whereas westbound buses use Washington Street to access the terminus. The M21 stays on Houston Street until Columbia Street. Eastbound buses continue to FDR Drive, and use the service road to access Grand St, where they terminate. Westbound buses then use Lewis St, Delancey St, and Columbia St to access Houston St, where they head back to the West Side. [2] [3]During the afternoon rush hour, M21 buses short turn at 6th Avenue instead of terminating at Washington Street.

History

Early history

The M21 was originally the New York City Department of Plant and Structures bus route M10 – later became NYCO's 21. This route replaced New York Railways' Avenue C Line streetcar on September 21, 1919.

Recent history

Due to the 2010 budget crisis, the M21's weekend service discontinued on June 27, 2010, in conjunction with an extension to its current terminus at Grand Street and FDR Drive. [4] Weekend service was restored on January 6, 2013. [5] On January 3, 2022, the M21 had its western terminus during PM rush hours truncated to 6th Avenue due to rush hour traffic on Varick Street approaching the Holland Tunnel. [6] [7]

Equipment

The M21 operates out of Michael J. Quill Depot, using Orion VII NG HEV 07.501, New Flyer XD40 Xcelsior, and New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 buses. [8] [9] Prior to 2019 and 2022 the route operated Nova Bus RTS-06 and Orion VII Old Gen buses, but these were replaced by the New Flyer XD40 Xcelsiors and New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40's [10] [11]

References

  1. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2022". mta.info. August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M21 bus schedule".
  3. ^ "MTA Bus Time". bt.mta.info. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "NYCT Revised Service Changes" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Weekend service restored on Houston St". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "M21 bus schedule". Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "M21 bus schedule". Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "Michael J. Quill Bus Depot (MaBSTOA) - MTA New York City Bus Roster". sites.google.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "New York MTA (Bus – Depot Roster) – The Insider's Guide". Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Metropolitan Transportation Authority 5105-5249 - CPTDB Wiki". cptdb.ca. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  11. ^ "Metropolitan Transportation Authority retired bus fleet - CPTDB Wiki". cptdb.ca. Retrieved September 28, 2020.