NYC bus network redesigns: what changed

Updated October 29, 2026

Since 2018 the MTA has been redesigning its bus network one borough at a time. A redesign can change where routes go, how often buses come, which stops they use and what the routes are called. This page explains where each redesign stands as of October 2026 and how to check whether your route changed. Official details are on the MTA's bus network redesigns page.

At a glance

  • Staten Island express buses: in effect since August 19, 2018.
  • Bronx local buses: in effect since June 26, 2022.
  • Queens local and express buses: in effect since 2025, launched in two phases on June 29 and August 31.
  • Brooklyn: still being planned. No redesign changes have taken effect.

Staten Island express buses (2018)

The first redesign began on August 19, 2018, and covered express buses between Staten Island and Manhattan. More than a dozen routes were redrawn and renamed with the SIM prefix still in use today. The MTA routed trips more directly, cut back on travel along local streets and rebalanced the spacing between stops. The SIM9, SIM11 and SIM33C were among the new routes. When the network launched, transit officials said 72 percent of riders would keep using the same stop. Staten Island's local S routes weren't part of this redesign. You can see every current route on our express bus page.

Bronx local buses (2022)

The MTA Board approved the Bronx final plan on December 15, 2021, and the new local network started on June 26, 2022. According to the MTA's Bronx redesign page, 13 routes changed and two new routes were added. The goal was simpler, more direct routes, more frequent service and better stop spacing. Here are some of the changes:

  • The M125 started running along 125th Street, between Manhattanville and the Hub in the Bronx.
  • The Bx11 was rerouted onto Edward L. Grant Highway. The Bx36 was rerouted along East Tremont Avenue, and its stops were respaced.
  • After launch, the Bx18 loop got two new names, Bx18A and Bx18B.
  • The redesign removed 258 bus stops. The MTA later brought 22 of them back.

A six-month evaluation, completed in February 2023, marked the end of the Bronx local redesign.

Queens local and express buses (2025)

The MTA Board approved the Queens final plan on January 29, 2025. The changes came in two phases, on June 29 and August 31, 2025. Routes with no Sunday service switched over a day later, on June 30 or September 2. Here's what changed:

  • More routes. Queens now has 124 routes, 94 local and 30 express. Before the redesign it had 113.
  • A new kind of route, called Rush. Rush routes make local stops for part of the trip and run nonstop for the rest, so riders get to the subway faster. There are 25 Rush routes, including the Q36 between Little Neck and Jamaica.
  • One prefix for express routes. Queens express routes now all start with QM instead of a mix of QM and X. The X63, X64 and X68, for example, are now the QM63, QM64 and QM68. The new QM65 express connects Laurelton and Rochdale with Lower Manhattan.
  • New routes. One example is the Q98 Limited, which runs between Ridgewood and Flushing.
  • Stop changes. To space stops farther apart, some were moved or removed. The MTA estimated that 84 percent of riders would keep their current stop.

On October 26, 2026, MTA officials presented an evaluation of the Queens redesign at MTA Board committee meetings, comparing spring 2025 with spring 2026. amNY reported that weekday local bus speeds in Queens rose 1.7 percent on average over that time.

Brooklyn (in planning)

The Brooklyn redesign hasn't taken effect yet. The MTA published a draft plan on December 1, 2022, and held public events about it in 2023. The MTA's Brooklyn project page was last updated in May 2026. It says the MTA is still reviewing feedback on the draft as it works toward a proposed final plan, and it gives no date for changes to take effect. The Bronx and Queens final plans both needed MTA Board approval before they launched.

How to check whether your route changed

  • Queens: search for your route on the MTA's Queens redesign page to see what changed and when. Each route has its own page there, like this one for the QM63.
  • Bronx: the Bronx redesign page has the final plan and links to each route's changes.
  • Brooklyn: keep an eye on the Brooklyn project page for the next version of the plan.
  • Any route: our route pages use current MTA route data to list every stop in each direction, along with live bus locations. Start from all routes or pick a borough: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island. If a route number you remember doesn't show up, look on the MTA's redesign page for that borough to find out what replaced it.
  • Detours and stop changes: the service alerts page lists detours, stop changes and planned work from the MTA. Alerts for a route also show at the top of that route's page.

If you're not sure which stop to use now, our guide to bus stop codes explains how to find a stop and see its next bus.

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