Bronx’s first busway takes over Tremont Avenue: rules for drivers and Bx36 riders

Beginning Saturday, a half-mile section of Tremont Avenue in the Bronx will be open only to buses and trucks between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., every day of the week. It is the borough’s first busway.

The eastbound busway begins at Third Avenue and heads toward Southern Boulevard and Belmont Avenue. Its purpose is to speed up the Bx36, which can crawl at around 5 mph at the busiest times of day.

Who can drive on the Tremont Avenue busway

While the restrictions are in force, the corridor is reserved for buses and trucks. Private cars and taxis may still turn onto Tremont Avenue to park or let passengers out, but they must leave at the next cross street.

Aliyah, who rides the Bx36, said traffic is so heavy that getting to University takes about 30 minutes.

How much time the busway saves Bx36 riders

As a candidate, Mayor Mamdani promised fare-free buses, and the busway falls short of that. He says the route serves 39,000 riders daily and that the change will shave roughly six minutes off each trip.

Business owners along the avenue disagree about what it will mean for them. Wander Soriano, who runs a convenience store and smoke shop, thinks more people will walk rather than drive to avoid tickets, which would mean more customers for him. “The bus is gonna be driving more people,” he said.

Jeremies Bourdier of Soap Game Strong has a different concern. The shop sells five-gallon buckets of soap, and customers need a vehicle to carry them away. Bourdier said the city should have picked different hours and pointed to 7 to 5 as a better option.