Wendy Robert
Staten Island’s public transportation history includes various types of vehicles connecting neighborhoods and linking residents to ferry terminals and job centers. Records show the evolution of bus services over the decades, from early experiments to the extensive network operated by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA).
Early forms of public transit served the island before the dominance of standard motor buses. Records show an Atlas trackless trolley, a type of electric bus drawing power from overhead wires, operating on Staten Island as early as 1921. Other companies also provided service; buses from Public Service Coordinated Transport of New Jersey (PSCT) operated in areas like Grant City, indicating cross-bay connections or predecessor services.
By the mid-20th century, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and its predecessors like the New York City Transit System (NYCTS) became the primary operators of bus routes across Staten Island. During the 1960s and 1970s, routes were commonly identified with an ‘R’ prefix, such as the R2 along Bay Street, the R103, R107, R113, and R117. Numerous photos from this era show buses with fleet numbers in series like the 6000s (e.g., 6022 on the R117 in 1968), the 8800s (e.g., 8854 on the R103 in 1971), and the 3600s (e.g., 3602 on the R3 in 1971). The St. George Ferry Terminal consistently appears as the central hub where many routes began and ended, facilitating transfers to the Manhattan ferry. Key streets like Bay Street, Victory Boulevard, and Richmond Terrace were heavily traveled bus corridors.
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The 1980s brought noticeable changes to the bus fleet serving Staten Island. Route designations increasingly used the ‘S’ prefix, which became standard for Staten Island routes (like S51, S74, S103). A significant number of buses during the early 1980s were leased from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington D.C. These leased buses, recognizable by their 18xx and 19xx fleet numbers (e.g., 1863, #1901), supplemented the NYCTA’s own fleet on various routes, including the S101 and S103.
Bus operations continued to evolve into the 2000s and early 2010s. The ‘S’ prefix route system was fully established for local service across the borough (e.g., S40, S46, S48, S51, S54, S59, S61, S62, S66, S74, S76, S78, S79). Express bus routes, designated with an ‘X’ prefix (e.g., X1, X2, X5, X10, X17), provided direct service primarily to Manhattan via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Newer bus models appeared, identified by different fleet number series (e.g., 48xx, 80xx, 2xxx-series express buses, low-floor models). While St. George remained a primary hub, other locations like the Eltingville Transit Center and the Staten Island Mall also functioned as significant connection points and route terminals.
Alongside the main NYCTA operations, other bus services existed. Private companies like Beviano Chartered Service operated buses on the island, seen at St. George in 1978. The NYCTA also used buses for non-revenue purposes, such as driver training vehicles. Occasionally, buses retired from passenger service found new life with other agencies, such as a former NYCTA bus repurposed for NYPD use.
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