Public transportation is vital to every day life in New York City–whether we’re talking the subway, bus, or taxis–but today we’re stepping onto trains, buses, and cars that look a lot different than they used to. Well, the New York Transit Museum is going back in time a few years, and they’re bringing us along for the ride!
The Transit Museum’s beloved vintage Bus Festival is returning to NYC this September, and they’re giving New Yorkers an up-close look at some long-retired bus models.
The fifth annual festival will showcase seven vintage buses representing more than 90-years-worth of NYC transit history.
Some old-timers you can expect to see include Betsy, (Bus #1263) which was part of Fifth Avenue Coach’s “1200 series”- 100 Yellow Coach “Z-type” buses manufactured in 1930, Bus #3100, which served Fifth Avenue and M4 & M5 routes in Manhattan between 1958 and 1968, and Bus #100, circa 1959, which was among the first group of 190 buses that introduced the “New Look” design to city buses, among others.
Commute back in time as you step onto the buses, enjoy photo ops, check out their pop-up shop, and meet some of the city’s bus drivers responsible for keeping the city on the go.
Plus, since the festival takes place at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza underneath the Brooklyn Bridge you’ll also get to take in stunning views of the Manhattan skyline.
Founded in 1976, the New York Transit Museum is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of mass transportation, including everything from engineering feats and the workers who labored in the tunnels over 100 years ago to the ever-evolving technology, design, and ridership of a system that runs 24/7.
Spanning a full city block the museum is housed underground in an authentic 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn and is home to a rotating selection of twenty vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1907.
The museum’s family-friendly Bus Festival will take New Yorkers back in time, for completely free no less, and you definitely won’t want to miss it! Concetta Bencivenga, director of the New York Transit Museum, stated:
We are delighted to bring back this beloved tradition and show some bus love to our vintage fleet, against the incredible backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge. Come spend the day with us and learn about the past, present and future of New York’s surface transportation.
Learn more on their website here.
🗓 Sunday, September 8th
⏰ 10 am to 4 pm
📍 Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park