Myrtle Ave. Bus Cuts Would Slash Sole Transit Option, Locals Say

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — A new list of proposed bus schedule changes in Brooklyn has locals worrying that it will be even more difficult to catch the only transit option within blocks of their homes.

The MTA has proposed cutting service to the B54, which runs along Myrtle Avenue, as part of a package of 29 bus schedule changes that could take effect this fall. The changes would mean waiting three minutes more for a bus during midday or evening hours and one more minute during the morning rush.

Transit officials contend the changes to all 29 bus routes would have a "minimal impact" to customers and will allow the agency to save a combined $7 million.

But, locals contend that they will only create more crowded buses and longer wait times for residents who rely on the bus. Nearly 800 have already signed a petition against the changes set up by the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District.

"For most of Myrtle Avenue, the B54 is the only transit option available," the petition reads. "Cutting service will further decline ridership, leading to worse conditions for riders who cannot afford to hail cabs or who are unable to walk the long distance to a subway station."

The B54 runs on Myrtle Avenue between Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn to St. Nicholas Avenue in Bushwick.

While some of the outer stops fall near subway lines, like the Myrtle-Avenue Wyckoff station or Jay Street-MetroTech, much of the bus line runs across a portion of Myrtle Avenue that is several blocks from the closest stops on the G line.

The service changes would mean that in the morning hours, riders would be waiting eight minutes instead of seven minutes for a bus. In the midday and evening hours, they would be waiting 12 minutes instead of the current nine minutes, according to internal documents first reported on by the Daily News.

The B54 cuts would come along with changes to two other major Brooklyn lines, including the B38, which also runs through Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. Those riders would wait three minutes more during the morning and evening rush.

The B15, which runs to John F. Kennedy Airport, will see wait times go up only a minute during midday weekday hours.

The Myrtle Avenue BID is planning a rally against the B54 changes for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8 at the Myrtle Avenue and Washington Avenue bus stop.