By Michael Ortiz
The S93 is a limited stop bus that runs between CSI and 86 St and 4th Ave in Bay Ridge. In recent years we have seen a spike in ridership causing overcrowding, and those that didn’t fit on the bus would have to wait as long as an extra 30 minutes for another bus to enter campus to take them home. Those that didn’t want the 93 chose to take the Ferry Shuttle back when it was in operation, but now with the shuttle discontinued the S93 Bus has seen record ridership.
People are upset about the long wait times as well as the buses often going out of service, which result in the stop being gated closed. Patrons who wait in line said that they don’t like how long they have to wait for the bus and especially those who are in the far back of the ever-growing crowd, who would have to wait as much as an additional 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes more for another bus to arrive. This has resulted in students and staff arriving back to their destinations very late.
People who have try to avoid the Overcrowded at the S93 tend to turn to the S61 or S62 buses instead, as an alternative but for many they choose not to do it mainly because of how far they are from the 1A Bus Stop. Avoiding the S93 during busy times has been difficult for many students and staff who rely on it after the discontinuation of the ferry shuttle. There are even people who get as desperate as calling an uber which tends to become very expensive depending on when it is requested.
One of the causes of the Overcrowding issue on the S93 is the elimination of the Ferry Shuttle and the Loop Bus Services. This has led to discussions between Student Government and the MTA Taskforce to find a solution to this problem.
An alternative that could be explored is potentially working with the MTA in Staten Island to bring the S62 Bus inside the CSI Campus as a possible Ferry Shuttle Replacement. it would run from the 2A Bus Stop to the St George Ferry Terminal which would help spread out the loads of congestion surrounding the S93 bus stop.
