Manuela López says that because of how difficult and uncomfortable it is to board trains and buses with her child’s stroller, she prefers to bring her little one loaded.
In this way, Manuela travels a route of about 34 blocks until she reaches 77th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, in Jackson Heights, where she picks up her other daughter from school.
“Sometimes we go in by bus and they let us have the cars open, they have to, well that’s why. No way, that’s not the case,” explained Manuela.
This is a situation the MTA is seeking to address through the expansion of the “Open Strollers” pilot program, which allows parents to board buses without having to lock their children’s cars.
The agency launched this initiative in September of last year with 142 buses.
Now, under its second phase, it will increase to 1,000 buses on 57 routes, throughout the city by this fall.
“Well that would be great, it’s the first time I’ve heard that. Well, I’m excited to hear that, the truth is,” said Manuela.
“Very comfortable, because sometimes the train is also very uncomfortable to get on, when entering and getting on and off and now, like the buses, it will be as direct with the cars,” said user Ana Chuqui.
Inside the bus, the designated space will be identified with a sign that specifies its use.
The area will be separated from wheelchair seating, which remains as it is now.
“That way people don’t call you attention. In other words, it’s like being embarrassed in front of people who attract your attention, that you’re getting in the way because you’re with the child and with the car,” said Jessica Reyes. say nothing because you have free space for you and for the car and so on”.
Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s director of accessibility, says this step is the culmination of months of hard work by the MTA to make buses more inclusive and accessible for all riders.
Among some of the routes under this program are Q31, Q32, Q4
En Brooklyn: B1, B3, B6/6
En Manhattan, M15, M31, M101,
En el Bronx: Bx31, Bx32, Bx33
Y and Staten Island: S40, S42, S46.
To obtain the list of all the routes you can visit the website new.mta.info
