Bee-Line Bus System

Infobox Bus transit
name = Bee-Line Bus System

logo_size = 175px

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image_size = 250px
image_caption = #613 is stopped at a light on Westchester Avenue at N. Pearl Street on the #13 in Port Chester.
company_slogan = The Way To Go
parent = Westchester County Department of Transportation
founded = 1978
headquarters = 100 East 1 Street
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
locale = Westchester County, New York
service_area = Westchester County and the northern Bronx County
service_type = Local, express, bus-to-rail shuttle buses
alliance =
routes = 64
destinations =
stops =
hubs =
stations =
lounge =
fleet = 362
ridership = 55,000 [ [http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/NEWS02/712160357/1029/NEWS13] Bee Line Ridership]
fuel_type = Diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid
operator =
*Liberty Lines Transit, Inc.
(all fixed routes except 16, 18, 31, and 76)

*P T L A Enterprise
(16, 18 and 31)

*Port Chester-Rye Transit
(Route 76)

*White Plains Bus
(paratransit)
ceo = Lawrence Salley
website = [http://www.westchestergov.com/beelinebus Bee-Line Bus System] The Bee-Line Bus System, branded on the buses in lowercase as the bee-line system , is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the County's Department of Transportation and operated, on contract (except for four routes), by Yonkers-based Liberty Lines Transit, Inc. The current existence of Bee-Line dates back to the late 1970s when thirteen private providers began running a unified system under the aegis of Westchester County with Liberty Lines either buying out or obtaining franchises for the other twelve. The four routes not run by Liberty Lines: Routes 16, 18, and 31 are run by Peekskill-based P T L A Enterprise and Route 76 run by Port Chester-Rye Transit in Rye. 2003 ridership for Bee-Line buses was 33.7 million. [http://www.nymtc.org/project/conformity/Appendix/Appendix%204%20%20Current%20Transit%20Status%20.pdf Greater New York mass transit ridership statistics, 2003] , accessed January 6, 2007]

cope of service

Within Westchester

The system's 64 routes are mostly concentrated in the more urban southern portion of the county, with more sparse service in the northern part of the county, with service concentrated near its slightly populated areas such as Peekskill, Ossining, or Mount Kisco, with paratransit service only in areas such as eastern Bedford, Lewisboro, North Salem and Pound Ridge. White Plains, the county seat and most centrally located city, is a major transportation hub, with many routes converging on the city's TransCenter. Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon, the other major cities of the county (all located at the southern end), are the best served. All but the county's smallest, most rural communities have at least rush hour service. [http://beelinebus.westchestergov.com/images/English%20Info%20side%20Transit%20Guide%202005.pdf 2005 Bee Line Service Area map] ]

Outside Westchester

Because Westchester County borders on the New York City borough of The Bronx, many of the Bee-Line's routes operate into the Bronx, offering Westchester residents connections to the New York City Subway system. Every subway line in The Bronx is served by at least one Bee-Line route. The Bee-Line System also operates an express route BxM4C [http://www.utrc2.org/education/assets/Li-Report.pdf Typology of Senior Transportation Services in Westchester County] ] ) from White Plains, Greenburgh and Yonkers along Central Park Avenue to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan (return trips operate on Madison Avenue within Manhattan).

Although Bee-Line does not identify their routes with a "W" prefix (eg. "W45"), a practice in line with MTA routes in New York City and Nassau County, riders may sometimes refer to routes in this fashion, especially in The Bronx. At one point, Bee-Line routes were identified in this fashion in prints of the Bronx Bus Map. [http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/en/includes/busbx.pdf] Current prints of the map now use "B-L" as a prefix, but bus stop signs in The Bronx continue to sign Westchester routes using the W. The MTA also continues to use the format, albeit sparingly.

While Bee-Line service is largely used by Westchester residents, passengers are allowed to use buses for trips wholly within The Bronx as well. In addition, the #12 line (Yorktown-Purchase-White Plains) briefly enters Connecticut along King Street. [http://beelinebus.westchestergov.com/images/English%20Info%20side%20Transit%20Guide%202005.pdf 2005 Bee Line Service Area map] ] The entire fleet has been equipped with fareboxes accepting MetroCards. The BxM4C fare decreased to US$5.00, on par with other MTA express buses. ^{[http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061005/NEWS02/610050321/1018]} MetroCard has been accepted on Bee-Line since April 1 2007. [http://www.westchestergov.com/beelinebus/images/web_metrocard_poster.jpgMetroCard coming to Bee Line] ]

Fares

All fares require exact change or MetroCard. All transfers are free with payment of fare. Dollar bills are not accepted on any Bee-Line System buses. [http://www.westchestergov.com/beelinebus/fares.htm Bee Line System fares] ]

Historical Honors on Fleet

In October 2004, Westchester County Executive Andrew J. Spano launched a month-long celebration of local history by unveiling the top 15 winning names, which would be applied on all of the 2002 Orion 05.505 buses. Since 2005, these buses bore the names of people, places, objects, and events that played a role in the development of Westchester.

References

External links

* [http://beelinebus.westchestergov.com/ Bee-Line Bus System]
* [http://www.libertylines.com/ Liberty Lines]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/nebuses/rosters/westchester.html Bee-Line Roster as of 2002]
* [http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/WestchesterBus Westchester Bus and Bee-Line Yahoo Discussion Group]