Now that the M15's sidewalk ticket kiosks have been named a success, the city is planning to use the service to speed up other idling bus lines. The crosstown M34 was named the sixth slowest bus in the city at last year's Pokey Awards [pdf], with an average speed of 4.4 mph, but NYCT President Thomas Prendergast said, "The introduction of off-board fare collection does a lot to help speed travel by cutting down significantly on the amount of time a bus sits in the bus stop."
Curbside fare has reportedly sped up M15 service by 19%, and the DOT is also planning a "Transitway" along 34th Street. There are already bus-only lanes, but the new project would separate them with barriers. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer reportedly wrote the DOT that the "benefits of the Transitway should be commended," but worried that they would cause more congestion for the other vehicles. There's also always the risk that passengers won't honor the ticket payment honor system, but we're sure the city's upstanding citizens would never dream of dodging a fare.
