Select Bus Service (SBS) explained

Updated October 29, 2026

Select Bus Service, or SBS, is the MTA's faster kind of city bus. SBS routes stop less often than local buses, use bus lanes, and on most routes let you board through any door. As of October 2026 there are 20 SBS routes across all five boroughs. Here's how they work, how to pay, and where they go.

How SBS differs from local and Limited buses

  • Local buses make all the stops on their route, and you board at the front door.
  • Limited buses, marked LTD, look like local buses but skip some stops. You still board at the front.
  • SBS buses make fewer stops, travel on priority routes such as bus lanes, and let you board at all doors.

SBS costs the same as a local bus, $3 as of October 2026, with the same free transfers and weekly fare cap. See the MTA's fares page for current prices and our guide to paying the fare for how the cap and transfers work.

Some SBS routes share a number with a local route, such as the M15 and M15-SBS or the Bx12 and Bx12-SBS. They make different stops, so check that the bus and stop match the service you want.

How to board and pay

Tapping with OMNY

The simplest option: get on at any door and tap your contactless bank card, phone, watch or OMNY Card on the reader at that door. Use the same card or device for the next leg of your trip to get your free transfer.

Paying with coins or a MetroCard

Pay before you board. SBS stops have a ticket machine: put in exact change in coins (no bills, pennies or half-dollars, and no change given) or use your MetroCard, then take the paper receipt. Keep that receipt for the whole ride. If you need a transfer, board at the front door, show the driver your receipt and ask for a paper transfer.

The MTA has said cash and MetroCard will stop being accepted on buses at the same time, on a date it hasn't announced yet, so tap if you can.

Two routes work differently

Proof of payment and fare checks

Because nobody checks your fare as you get on, SBS relies on proof of payment. MTA fare inspectors, called EAGLE teams, have checked riders for it. In late October 2026 the MTA paused those inspections while it reviews them, but the rule hasn't changed: you still have to pay for every ride. If you tapped, show the card or phone you tapped with; if you paid with coins or a MetroCard, your paper receipt is the proof.

So keep the card or phone you tapped, or your receipt, until you get off.

Bus lanes and signal priority

Many SBS corridors have bus lanes. On many routes, including several SBS routes, the MTA also mounts cameras on buses that ticket drivers who block bus lanes or stops or double-park, which helps keep the lanes clear.

Some SBS corridors also have transit signal priority, meaning traffic lights adjust as a bus approaches. NYC DOT has switched it on along SBS routes including the M15-SBS, B44-SBS, B46-SBS, Bx41-SBS, S79-SBS and B82-SBS.

Current SBS routes

Each link opens that route's live bus times.

Manhattan

  • M14A-SBS: 14th Street and Avenue A, Lower East Side to Abingdon Square
  • M14D-SBS: 14th Street and Avenue D, Lower East Side to Chelsea Piers
  • M15-SBS: 1st and 2nd Avenues, South Ferry to East Harlem
  • M23-SBS: 23rd Street crosstown
  • M34-SBS: 34th Street crosstown, East Side to the Javits Center
  • M34A-SBS: 34th Street, Waterside to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
  • M60-SBS: 125th Street to LaGuardia Airport
  • M79-SBS: 79th Street crosstown
  • M86-SBS: 86th Street crosstown

Brooklyn

  • B44-SBS: Nostrand Avenue, Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay
  • B46-SBS: Utica Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, from Kings Plaza
  • B82-SBS: Kings Highway corridor to Spring Creek

Bronx

  • Bx6-SBS: 161st and 163rd Streets, Hunts Point to Riverside Drive in Manhattan
  • Bx12-SBS: Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway, Inwood to Bay Plaza
  • Bx41-SBS: Webster Avenue, The Hub to Williamsbridge

Queens

  • Q44-SBS: Main Street, Jamaica to the Bronx Zoo
  • Q52-SBS: Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards, Elmhurst to the Rockaways
  • Q53-SBS: Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards, Woodside to Rockaway Park
  • Q70-SBS: the LaGuardia Link, Woodside and Jackson Heights to LaGuardia Airport (free)

Staten Island

  • S79-SBS: Hylan Boulevard and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Staten Island Mall to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

Heading to LaGuardia on the M60-SBS or Q70-SBS? See our airport bus guide.

Tips for riding SBS

  • Tap as soon as you step on, even at the back door. An untapped card isn't proof of anything.
  • If you paid at the machine, keep the receipt where you can reach it quickly.
  • SBS stops are farther apart than local stops, so check that yours is an SBS stop before you wait; our stop codes guide shows how to look one up.
  • The late-night option of asking the driver to let you off between stops (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) isn't available on SBS.
  • Many SBS buses have a marked space for an open stroller near the rear door, and the MTA aims to have one on every local and SBS bus by the end of 2026. If there isn't one, or it's taken, you'll need to fold the stroller.

To see when the next SBS bus is due, open its route from the list above, or browse every route on the route list. Detours and service changes show up on service alerts.

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