Riding a New York City bus will soon be a lot easier for parents with young children in strollers.
The MTA is expanding a pilot program giving parents the option to bring open strollers on buses
"To be able to bring the stroller on and not have to collapse it is a game changer," said NYC Councilmember Julie Menin, a mother of four who applauded the move. "We are big bus riders and we often don’t take the stroller with us because of this very issue."
The program includes creating more seats that can be raised or lowered in order to make room for those seated in wheelchairs, or in the cases of many parents or caretakers with young kids, pushing strollers.
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"Because buses disproportionately serve low income minority populations, increasing accessibility is also critical matter of equity," said NYC Transit Senior VP of Buses Frank Annicaro, adding that "2,500 stroller rides later, the results speak for themselves. The feedback from our customers and operators have been overwhelming positive."
In Sept. 2022, the MTA outfitted 140 buses with the ability to accommodate strollers. That number will expand to 1,000 buses citywide — roughly 20 percent of the fleet.
"The bus used to be a mode of transit caretakers opted out of, unsafe to take children out of the stroller. This pilot is life-changing," said Christine Serdjenian Yearwood, the founder of Up-Stand, a group looking to making things more accessible for pregnant people and families.
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Buses participating in the open stroller program will be identified with a stroller decal on the outside of the bus that customers can see before boarding. Once inside the bus, the designated space will be identified with a similar decal.
