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Transportation & Environment

December 2017, Transportation & Environment Committee

Application by inter-city bus operator M&V Corporate Transportation, Inc. d/b/a Hampton Luxury Liner for a bus stop on the west side of Lexington Ave between East 58th and 59th Streets

WHEREAS, M&V Corporate Transportation, Inc., d/b/a Hampton Luxury Liner, seeks approval from the Department of Transportation ("DOT") of an Application to operate an inter-city bus service between New York City and Long Island, New York on the west side of Lexington Ave between East 58th and 59th Sts; and

WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes ten (10) daily pickups between the hours of 8:30 AM and 9:00 PM; and

WHEREAS, The Port Authority Bus Terminal currently operates at or above capacity; and

WHEREAS, In response, several companies began offering low cost inter-city bus services from on-street pickup and drop off locations without formal authorization from DOT; and

WHEREAS, Without regulation, a high concentration of inter-city bus services developed in certain areas of midtown Manhattan, quickly resulting in increased sidewalk congestion, traffic gridlock, and increased on-street bus parking and double parking, all of which combined to create safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, local business owners, and residents; and

WHEREAS, The State Legislature adopted Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1642-a in 2013 to address these concerns, empowering DOT to create a permitting system; and

WHEREAS, This law authorizes the City to:

1. prohibit inter-city buses from loading or unloading passengers on City streets, except at designated on-street bus stop locations;
2. require inter-city bus owners and/or operators to submit an application for each proposed on-street bus stop location;
3. establish criteria for assigning on-street bus stop locations, including traffic considerations and the applicant's preferences;
4. provide for consultation with the local Community Board and, where appropriate, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey;
5. authorize DOT to issue inter-city bus permits and to charge a fee;
6. provide for the relocation of an existing permitted on-street bus stop, upon 90-day notice to the permit holder and the local Community Board;
7. grandfather existing inter-city bus services that currently have designated on-street bus stop locations, by granting a permit to continue to use those locations for up to three years; and

WHEREAS, The Applicant previously has operated as a different entity in this location since 2000 without complaints; and

WHEREAS, No other inter-city bus service currently uses this location; and

WHEREAS, No members of the public expressed concerns about this location; and

WHEREAS, The building owner of the adjacent property expressed no reservations regarding a bus stop at the proposed location; therefore be it

RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of M&V Corporate Transportation, Inc.'s application for a bus stop on the west side of Lexington Ave between East 58th and 59th Streets.