Wikipedia

Bx4 and Bx4A buses

The Bx4 and Bx4A constitute a public transit line along Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, running between The Hub or Foxhurst and Westchester Square.

bx4, bx4a
Westchester Avenue Line
A 2018 Nova Bus LFS Articulated (5570) on the Bx4 at Westchester Square
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority
GarageGun Hill Depot
VehicleNova Bus LFS articulated (main vehicle)
Nova Bus LFS
Nova Bus LFS HEV
New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 (supplemental service)
Began serviceJuly 10, 1948 (Bx4)
January 2, 2011 (Bx4A)
Route
LocaleThe Bronx, New York, U.S.
Communities servedThe Hub – Bergen Avenue & East 149th Street (Bx4A)
StartThe Hub – Bergen Avenue & East 149th Street (Bx4)
Longwood - West Farms Road & Southern Boulevard (Bx4A)
ViaWestchester Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue (Bx4A)
EndWestchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station
Length4.5 miles (7.2 km) (Bx4)
3.5 miles (5.6 km) (Bx4A)
Service
OperatesAll times except late nights
Annual patronage1,399,790 (2023)[1]
TransfersYes
TimetableBx4/Bx4A
← Bx3  {{{system_nav}}}  Bx5 →

Route description

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Streetcar line

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The Westchester Avenue Line, originally operated by Union Railway Company, ran from The Hub at the south end of Westchester Avenue along it to Southern Boulevard, where it originally terminated. It was later extended to Hugh J. Grant Circle, and then again to Westchester Square, all along Westchester Avenue. The line ran under the designation "A".[2]

History

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The Westchester Avenue Line was run by Union Railway Company, when it was chartered as an amalgamation of three separate streetcar companies in 1892. The line was electrified the same year and later fell under the Third Avenue Railroad Company when the Union Railway Company was acquired by them in 1898. In 1899, the line was extended from Southern Boulevard to Hugh Grant Circle in Unionport.[3]

On July 10, 1948, the streetcars were replaced by the Bx42 bus, which followed the same routing as the streetcar.[4]

On February 19, 1984, the Bronx bus system was revamped, and the Bx42 was renamed to the Bx4.[5]

On January 2, 2011, a branch of the Bx4 called the Bx4A was created to run via Metropolitan and Tremont Avenues to replace service on the western part of the Bx14 route, which was discontinued on June 27, 2010, due to budget cuts.[6][7]

In 2018, the MTA released its Fast Forward Plan, aimed at speeding up mass transit services.[8] As part of it, a draft plan for the reorganization of Bronx bus routes was proposed in draft format in June 2019, with a final version published in October 2019.[9][10] The plan included increasing Bx4 and Bx4A service, but in exchange, the Bx4A would be truncated to West Farms Road and Southern Boulevard.[11][12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the changes were halted for over a year.[13][14][15] The modification took place on June 26, 2022.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 1946". tundria.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  3. ^ "Irate Parents Blockade Street in Bronx To Prevent 167th St. Buses From Using It". The New York Times. October 8, 1899. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Buses Replace More Trolleys". The New York Times. July 9, 1948. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  5. ^ *"Bronx Bus Service Changes Effective February 19, 1984". New York City Transit Authority. February 1984. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Reyes, Lennin (November 24, 2011). "Confusing Bus Riders One Cut at a Time". The Bronx Journal. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "Bx4A Bx8 Bx24 Effective Sunday, January 2, 2011 Improved service for our East Bronx customers". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2011. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transitt" (PDF). MTA. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Draft Plan, Bronx Bus Network Redesign" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  10. ^ "Final Plan, Bronx Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Spivack, Caroline (October 22, 2019). "MTA's Bronx bus redesign will chop 400 stops and add new routes". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "MTA releases final Bronx bus system overhaul proposal". ABC7 New York. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Duggan, Kevin (August 19, 2021). "MTA revives borough bus network redesigns, starting with the Bronx – Bronx Times". Bronx Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  14. ^ "NYC officials announce ambitious plan to expand MTA bus service". ABC7 New York. August 16, 2021. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  15. ^ Duggan, Kevin (February 20, 2022). "MTA sets June date for Bronx bus redesign rollout". amNewYork. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  16. ^ Duggan, Kevin (June 26, 2022). "What to know about the Bronx bus redesign". AMNewYork. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "MTA launches redesigned bus network in the Bronx". CBS News. June 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bx4 (New York City bus).
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bx4A (New York City bus).
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