The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of bus routes in Manhattan, New York, United States; one minor route is privately-operated by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. Many of them are the direct descendants of streetcar lines (see list of streetcar lines in Manhattan).

Companies

Presently, the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority operate most local buses in Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation operates the Roosevelt Island Red Bus Service on Roosevelt Island.

The first bus company in Manhattan was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which began operating the Fifth Avenue Line (now the M1 route) in 1886. When New York Railways began abandoning several streetcar lines in 1919, the replacement bus routes (including the current M21 and M22 routes) were picked up by the New York City Department of Plant and Structures (DP&S). The DP&S began operating several other buses (including the current M79 and M96 routes) in 1921. All of these but the M21 were acquired by Green Bus Lines in 1933; Green transferred several of these to the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation in 1935.

The New York City Omnibus Corporation began operating replacement routes for New York Railways lines abandoned in 1936, and acquired the remaining Green routes. They also acquired the Madison Avenue Coach Company (former New York and Harlem Railroad lines), Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation (former Eighth and Ninth Avenue Railways lines), and in 1942 the Triangle Bus Corporation (current M21 route).

In 1936, the NYCO and Fifth Avenue were placed under common ownership. The two were merged directly by 1956, when the NYCO acquired the Surface Transportation Corporation (operated former Third Avenue Railway routes since 1941), and changed its name to Fifth Avenue Coach Lines. After a strike in 1962, the entire Fifth Avenue system was transferred to the newly-formed Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.

In 1933, two related companies began to operate routes: the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation gained several Green Bus Lines routes (including the current M22, M27, and M50 routes), and the East Side Omnibus Corporation started operating former Second Avenue Railroad routes (including the current M15 and M31 routes). The Comprehensive also started the current M66 route that year, and in 1948 the New York City Board of Transportation acquired the Comprehensive and East Side routes, transferred to the New York City Transit Authority in 1953. The M9 route came from the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company in 1980, which had begun operating replacement routes for the Dry Dock, East Broadway and Battery Railroad lines in 1932.

List of routes

This table gives details for the routes prefixed with "M" - in other words, those considered to run primarily in Manhattan by the MTA. For details on routes with other prefixes, see the following articles:

• List of bus routes in Brooklyn: B39 and B51
• List of bus routes in the Bronx: Bx3, Bx6, Bx7, Bx9 (through Marble Hill), Bx11, Bx12, Bx12 +SelectBusService, Bx13, Bx15, Bx19, Bx20, Bx33, Bx35, Bx36, and Bronx Weekend Trolley.
• List of bus routes in Queens: Q32, Q60, Q101, and Q102 (Roosevelt Island)
• List of express and multi-borough bus routes in New York City: all express routes except the x32 (the x25 and x90 run solely within Manhattan)
• List of bus routes in Westchester County, New York: Bee-Line 28 (also known as BxM4C)

New York City Bus

Routes marked with an asterisk run 24 hours a day.The Manhattan bus routes should not be confused with Megabus routes with similar names originating from Manhattan.

Routes M1 to M20

Route	Terminals			Streets traveled	Service notes
M1*
	Local service
	Harlem West 147th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd	↔	East Village East Eighth St and Fourth Av at Cooper Union	NB: Fourth Av, Park Av South, Madison Av. SB: Lenox Av, Fifth Av, Park Av South.	Full time terminus.
		↔	South Ferry Whitehall St and South St	NB: Trinity Place, Centre St, Lafayette St, Fourth Av, Park Av South, Madison Av. SB: Lenox Av, Fifth Av, Park Av South, Broadway.	Full route, part time terminus, weekdays only
	Limited-stop service
	Harlem West 147th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd	→ AM ← PM	South Ferry Whitehall St and South St	(See M1 Local service Harlem ↔ South Ferry above)	Limited stops service operates in AM hours to South Ferry and PM hours to Harlem only.
M2*
	Local service
	Washington Heights West 168th St and Broadway	↔	East Village East Eight St and Forth Av at Cooper Union	Edgecombe Av, West 155th St, Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, Central Park North, ... NB: Park Av South, Madison Av, (towards Central Park North) SB: (from Central Park North), Fifth Av, East Eighth St.	Local buses operates only in overnight and early morning hours and do not operate while limited-stop buses run.
	Limited-stop service
	Washington Heights West 168th St and Broadway	↔	East Village East Eight St and Forth Av at Cooper Union	(See M2 Local routing above)	Limited stops runs daily except early morning and overnight hours.
M3 Local	Fort George West 193rd St and Saint Nicholas Av	↔	East Village East Eight St and Forth Av at Cooper Union	Saint Nicholas Av, Manhattan Av, Central Park North, ... NB: Park Av South, Madison Av, (towards Central Park North) SB: (from Central Park North), Fifth Av, East Eighth St.	No overnight service.
M4
	Local service
	Penn Station West 32nd St and Seventh Av	↔	The Cloisters Museum	Fort Washington Av, Broadway, 110th St, ... NB: West 32nd St, Madison Av, (towards 110th St) SB: (from 110th St) , Fifth Av, West 34th St.	Full route, runs daily except overnights
		↔	Fort Tryon Park West 193rd St and Fort Washington Av		Part time terminus
	Limited-stop service
	Penn Station West 32nd St and Seventh Av	↔	The Cloisters Museum	(See M4 Local routing above)	Weekday rush hour limited-stop service.
M5
	Local service
	Washington Heights West 178th St and Broadway	↔	Greenwich Village Houston St and West Broadway	Broadway, Riverside Drive, 72nd St, Central Park South, ... NB: Av of Americans (Sixth Av), (towards Central Park South) SB: (from Central Park South), Fifth Av, Eighth St, Broadway.	Local buses do not operate while limited-stop buses run. No overnight service.
	Limited-stop service
	Washington Heights West 178th St and Broadway	↔	Greenwich Village Houston St and West Broadway	(See M5 Local routing above)	Weekday limited stop service.
M6 Local	Midtown Central Park South and Av of the Americas (Sixth Av)	↔	South Ferry Whitehall St and South St	NB: Trinity Place, Church St, Av of the Americas (Sixth Av). SB: Seventh Av, West 14th St, Broadway.	No overnight service.
M7* Local	Harlem West 147th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd	↔	Chelsea 14th St and 6th Av	Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Av), West 116th St, Manhattan Av, Duke Ellington Blvd, ... NB: Av of the Americas (Sixth Av), Broadway, Amsterdam Av, (towards Duke Ellington Blvd) SB: (from Duke Ellington Blvd) , Columbus Av, Broadway, Seventh Av.
M8* Local	West Village West St and Christopher St	↔	East Village Avenue D and Tenth St	EB: West Tenth St, Saint Marks Place (Eighth St), East Tenth St. WB: East Tenth St, Ninth St, Christopher St.
M9 Local	Battery Park City South End Av and Albany St	↔	Union Square 14th St and Broadway	South End Av, Battery Place, State St, Water St, Saint James Place, East Broadway, Essex St, Avenue B, East 14th St.	No overnight service.
M10 Local	Harlem West 159th St and Fredrick Douglass Blvd	↔	Penn Station West 32nd St and Seventh Av	Fredrick Douglass Blvd / Central Park West (Eighth Av), ... NB: West 31st St, Eighth Av, (towards Central Park West) SB: (from Central Park West), Central Park South, Seventh Av.	No overnight service.
M11 Local	West Village Bethune St and Hudson St at Abingdon Square	↔	Riverbank State Park West 145 St and Riverside Drive	NB: Tenth Av, Amsterdam Av, 135th St, Riverside Drive SB: Riverside Drive, 135th St, 110th St, Columbus Av, Ninth Av.	Full route, full time terminus except early morning and overnight hours.
		↔	Harlem West 133rd St and Broadway		Early morning and overnight hours part time terminus.
M14A* Local	Lower East Side Grand St and FDR Drive	↔	West Village Bethune St and Hudson St at Abingdon Square	14th St, Avenue A, Essex Street, and Grand St	Full time terminus except overnights.
		↔	Chelsea Piers West 18th St and West St		Overnight service only.
M14D* Local	Chelsea Piers West 18th St and West St	↔	Lower East Side Delancy St and Columbia St	14th St, Avenue C, East 10 St, Avenue D, East Houston Street, Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive
M15*
	Local service
	East Harlem East 126th St and Second Av	↔	South Ferry Whitehall St and South St	Water St, Saint James Place, Madison St, Allen St, First Av (NB) / Second Av (SB)	Full route, full time terminus
		↔	City Hall Park Row and Broadway	Park Row, East Broadway, Allen St, First Av (NB) / Second Av (SB)	Part time terminus, weekdays only
	Limited-stop service
	East Harlem East 126th St and Second Av	↔	South Ferry Whitehall St and South St ------ or ------ City Hall Park Row and Broadway	(See M15 Local routing above)	Towards South Ferry; daily service except overnights. Towards City Hall; weekdays only.
M16* Local	Port Authority Bus Terminal West 42nd St and Ninth Av	↔	Waterside Plaza East 24th St and FDR Drive	NB: Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, 34th St SB: 34th St, Second Av, 23rd St.
M18 Local	Washington Heights West 168th St and Broadway	↔	Harlem Central Park North and Fifth Av	116th St, Convent Av, and St. Nicholas Av	No overnight service.
M20 Local	Battery Park City Battery Place and West St	↔	Lincoln Center West 63rd St and Broadway	NB: South End Av, West St, Harrison St, Hudson St, Eighth Av, West 66th St. SB: Broadway, Seventh Av, Varick St, West Broadway, Chamber St, West St, South End Av.	No overnight service.
Notes:	NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound; Av: Avenue; Blvd: Boulevard; St: Street

Routes M21 to M79

All routes in this section are local service.

Route	Terminals			Streets traveled	Service notes
M21	West Village Washington St and Spring St	↔	Bellevue Hospital First Av and East 26th St	Houston St and Avenue C.	No overnight service.
M22*	Battery Park City North End St and Vesey St	↔	Lower East Side Grand St and FDR Drive	WB: Madison St , East Broadway, Worth St, Lafayette St, Chambers St, North End Av. EB: North End Av, Chambers St, Park Row, Frankfort St, Saint James Place, Madison St.
M23*	Chelsea Piers 12th Av and West 23rd St	↔	Peter Cooper Village— Stuyvesant Town Av C and 20th St	23rd St.
M27	Port Authority Bus Terminal Eight Av and West 42nd St	↔	United Nations First Av and East 42nd St	WB: First Av, 49th St, Seventh Av, West 42nd St. EB: Eighth Av, 50th St, Second Av, East 42nd St.	No overnight service.
M30	Midtown West 57th St and Broadway	↔	Upper East Side East 72nd St and York Av	WB: East 72nd St, Fifth Av, West 57th St. EB: West 57th St, Madison Av, East 72nd St.	Weekday rush hours service only.
M31	Clinton West 54th St and 11th Av	↔	Yorkville East 92nd St and York Av	57th St and York Av.	No overnight service.
M34	Chelsea 12th Av and West 34th St	↔	East Side FDR Drive and East 34th St	34th St.	No overnight service.
M35	Harlem East 125th St and Lexington Av	↔	Randall's Island and Ward's Island	125th St, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.	No overnight service.
M42*	United Nations First Av and East 42nd St	↔	Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises 12th Av and West 42nd St	42nd St.	Full time terminus.
		↔	Jacob K. Javits Convention Center 11th Av and West 34th St	WB: 42nd St, 11th Av. EB: 12th Av, 42nd St.	Full route, operates all days except overnights.
M50	Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises 12th Av and West 42nd St	↔	United Nations East 42nd St and First Av	WB: First Av, 49th St, 12th Av. EB: 12th Av, 50th St, Second Av, East 42nd St.
M57*	Upper West Side West 72nd St and Broadway	↔	East Midtown York Av and East 60th St	West End Av and 57 St.	No overnight service.
M60*	Morningside Heights West 106th St and Broadway	↔	LaGuardia Airport, Queens (Serving all terminals)	Manhattan: Broadway, 125 St, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Queens: Astoria Blvd, Airport Road.
M66*	Upper West Side West End Av and West 66th St	↔	Upper East Side York Av and East 67th St	WB: East 67th St, West 66th St. EB: West 65th St, East 65th St, Madison Av, East 68th St.
M72	Upper West Side Freedom Place and West 68th St	↔	Upper East Side York Av and East 72nd St	WB: East 72nd St, Fifth Av, Central Park West, West 72nd St, West End Av. EB: West End Av, West 72nd St, Central Park West, Madison Av, East 72nd St.	No overnight service.
M79*	Upper West Side Riverside Drive and West 79th St	↔	Upper East Side East End Av and East 79th St	79th St.
Notes:	NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound; Av: Avenue; Blvd: Boulevard; St: Street

Routes M86 to M116

Route	Terminals			Streets traveled	Service notes
M86* Local	Upper West Side West End Av and West 86th St	↔	Yorkville East 92nd St and York Av	86th St, York Av
M96* Local	Upper West Side West End Av and West 96th St	↔	Yorkville First Av and East 97nd St	96th St
M98
	Limited-stop service
	Murray Hill East 34th St and Lexington Av	↔	Washington Heights West 193rd St and Fort Washington Av at Fort Tryon Park	Fort Washington Av, West 178th St (towards south), West 179th St (towards north), Harlem River Drive, ... NB: Park Av, Lexington Av, (toward Harlem River Drive) SB: (from Harlem River Drive), Third Av	Weekday rush hour service only.
M100 Local	Inwood West 220th St and Broadway	↔	East Harlem East 125th St and Second Av	Broadway, Amsterdam Av, 125th Street	No overnight service.
M101*
	Local service
	Washington Heights West 193rd St and Amsterdam Av	↔	East Village East 8th St and Third Av at Cooper Union	NB: Third Av, 125th St, Amsterdam Av SB: Amsterdam Av, 125th St, Lexington Av, Third Av	Local buses do not operate while limited-stop service runs.
	Limited-stop service
	Washington Heights West 193rd St and Amsterdam Av	↔	East Village East 8th St and Third Av at Cooper Union	(See M101 Local routing above)	Limited stops runs daily except overnights.
M102* Local	Harlem West 147th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd	↔	East Village East 8th St and Third Av at Cooper Union	NB: Third Av, East 116th St, Lenox Av SB: Lenox Av, East 116th St, Lexington Av, Third Av
M103* Local	East Harlem East 125th St and Lexington Av	↔	City Hall Park Row and Broadway	NB: Bowery, Third Av SB: Lexington Av, Third Av, Bowery
M104* Local	Harlem West 129th St and Amsterdam Av	↔	United Nations First Av and East 42nd St	NB: 42nd St, Eighth Av, Broadway SB: Broadway, Seventh Av, 42nd St.
M106 Local	East Harlem East 106th St and FDR Drive	↔	Upper West Side West 96th St and West End Av	West 96th St, Madison Av (NB), Fifth Av (SB), East 106th St.	No overnight service.
M116 Local	East Harlem East 120th St and Pleasant Av	↔	Upper West Side West 106th St and Broadway	106th St, Manhattan Av, and 116th St	No overnight service.
Notes:	NB: Northbound; SB: Southbound; EB: Eastbound; WB: Westbound; Av: Avenue; Blvd: Boulevard; St: Street

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation

This route is operated by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and is the lone unsubsidized route operating in Manhattan. The Red Bus route operates an on-island shuttle bus service from apartment buildings to the subway and tramway lines.

MetroCard is not accepted for payment of fare on this line, which has a one-way cash fare of 25¢, and 10¢ for seniors and disabilities.

Route	Terminals			Streets traveled
Red bus	Octagon Apartments	↔	Roosevelt Island Tramway station	Main Street, East and West Service Drive

Downtown Connection

In Lower Manhattan area, a free shuttle service operates daily from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM, sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District (BID), using minibuses.

Route	Terminals			Streets traveled
Downtown Connection	City Hall Broadway and Murray Street	↔	South Street Seaport Water Street and Fulton Street	Warren/Murray Streets, South End Avenue, Battery Place, Water Street

History of the current Manhattan bus routes

Routes M1 to M20

Route	History
M1	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating Fifth Avenue Line bus in 1886 Madison Avenue Coach Company bus replaced New York and Harlem Railroad's Fourth and Madison Avenues Line streetcar on February 1, 1935. Routes combined as a one-way pair on January 14, 1966. 4.94 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 50th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M2	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on February 23, 1901. Northbound buses moved to Madison Avenue on January 14, 1966. 4.39 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 65th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M3	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on February 23, 1901. Northbound buses moved to Madison Avenue on January 14, 1966. 5.66 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 37th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M4	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on August 5, 1900. Northbound buses moved to Madison Avenue on January 14, 1966. 7.1 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 27th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M5	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on August 5, 1900. 4.04 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 72nd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M6	New York City Omnibus Corporation buses route (M23 - 5) replaced New York Railways' Sixth Avenue Line streetcar on March 3, 1936. New York City Omnibus Corporation buses route (M22 - 6) replaced New York Railways' Broadway Line streetcar on March 6, 1936. Routes combined as a one-way pair on November 10, 1963, and kept the number 6. Route through Midtown shifted from Broadway to Seventh Avenue in 2009. 1.72 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 132nd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M7	New York City Omnibus Corporation buses route (M22 - 7) replaced New York Railways' Columbus Avenue Line streetcar on March 25, 1936. Northbound buses moved to Amsterdam Avenue on December 6, 1951 and to Sixth Avenue on March 10, 1957. Had limited-stop service until 1993. Southern terminus shifted to Sixth Avenue in 2009. 5.63 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 38th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M8	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M16 - 13) replaced New York Railways' Eighth Street Crosstown Line streetcar on March 3, 1936. Designated M13 until ca. 1989. 0.92 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 161st out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M9	Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company bus (M9) replaced Dry Dock, East Broadway and Battery Railroad's Avenue B Line streetcar on July 30, 1932. 1.79 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 129th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M10	Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation bus route (M41 - soon became NYCO's 10) replaced Eighth and Ninth Avenues Railway's Eighth Avenue Line streetcar on November 12, 1935. New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M24 - 8/9) replaced New York Railways' Seventh Avenue Line streetcar on March 6, 1936. Routes combined as a one-way pair on June 6, 1954 and kept the number 10 continued south to Abingdon Square, Spring Street and Battery Park City until 1999. South of Penn Station split off into route M20 in 1999. 3.68 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 81st out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M11	Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation bus route (M42 - soon became NYCO's 11) replaced Eighth and Ninth Avenues Railway's Ninth Avenue Line streetcar on November 12, 1935. Northbound buses moved to Tenth Avenue on November 6, 1948. Southbound buses moved to Columbus Avenue on December 6, 1951. 4.41 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 64th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M14A M14D	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M17 - 14) replaced New York Railways' 14th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 20, 1936. Avenue D service added on January 28, 1951; initially from Broadway along 14th Street, Avenue D and Columbia Street to Stanton Street, and returning on Cannon Street and Houston Street. 12.4 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 9th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M15	East Side Omnibus Corporation bus route (M15) replaced Second Avenue Railroad's Second Avenue Line streetcar and began running route (M13) on First Avenue on June 26, 1933. Routes combined as a one-way pair on June 4, 1951 and kept the number M15. Began limited stop service on February 11, 1974. 17.6 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank first out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M16	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M19 - 16) replaced New York Railways' 34th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936. 2.49 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 109th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M18	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on January 13, 1939 as a variant of the M3. Original southern terminus was East Village; truncated to Harlem in 1995. 0.28 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 186th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M20	Split from M10 in 1999; Original M20 is now M116. 1.57 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 65th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.

Routes M21 to M79

Route	History
M21	New York City Department of Plant and Structures bus route (M10 - soon became NYCO's 21) replaced New York Railways' Avenue C Line streetcar on September 21, 1919. 0.57 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 172nd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M22	New York City Department of Plant and Structures bus route (M1) replaced New York Railways' Chambers and Madison Streets Line streetcar on September 21, 1919. Became M22 in July 1974. 1.3 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 151st out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M23	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M18 - 15) replaced New York Railways' 23rd Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 8, 1936. Became M26 in July 1974 and M23 ca. 1989. 5.68 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 36th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M27	New York City Transit Authority began operating the route on October 11, 1971 as a variant of the M27. The original M27 is now the M50. 0.85 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 163rd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M30	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus on February 23, 1901; M6 until July 1974. 0.4 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 182nd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M31	East Side Omnibus Corporation began operating bus route (M11) on June 26, 1933. Became M31 in July 1974. 4.01 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 77th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M34	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M19 - 16) replaced New York Railways' 34th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936. Main route renumbered M34 in April 1986; M16 remained as a variant. 2.65 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 104th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M35	Originally the TB; became M34 (Randall's and Ward's Islands), M35 (Astoria, Queens), and Bx21 in July 1974; combined as the M35 in the 1980s, when M34 was applied to the 34th Street Crosstown. Some M35 trips went to Astoria, Queens until September 10, 1995. 0.83 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 164th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M42	Surface Transportation Corporation bus route (M106) replaced Third Avenue Railway's 42nd Street Crosstown Line (Manhattan surface) streetcar on November 17, 1946. Became M42 in April 1986. 3.75 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 79th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M50	Originally M3 bus route; Became M27 in July 1974. 1.13 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 154th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M57	Fifth Avenue Coach Company began operating bus (20) on March 15, 1937.; Renumbered M28 in July 1974. 2.64 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 105th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M60	New route in 1992 5.06 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 48th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M66	Comprehensive Omnibus Company began operating bus route (M7) on February 15, 1935. Route M7 became M29 in July 1974 and M66 ca. 1989. 4.23 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 68th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M72	2.05 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 122nd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M79	New York City Department of Plant and Structures began operating bus (M4 - soon became NYCO's 17) on November 30, 1921. Route M17 became M79 ca. 1989. 5.92 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 33rd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.

Routes M86 to M116

Route	History
M86	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus (M5 - 18) replaced New York Railways' 86th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on June 8, 1936. Route M18 became M86 ca. 1989. 8.84 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 17th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M96	New York City Department of Plant and Structures began operating bus (M6 - soon became NYCO's 19) on July 1, 1921. Route M19 became M96 ca. 1989. 4.79 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 160th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M98	0.93 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 160th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M100	Surface Transportation Corporation bus (Route M100) replaced Third Avenue Railway's Broadway-Kingsbridge Line streetcar on June 22, 1947. Portion in Bronx split off into Bx20 in 1989. 5.82 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 35th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M101	New York City Omnibus Corporation]bus (M21 - 3/4) replaced New York Railways' Lexington Avenue Line streetcar on March 25, 1936. Surface Transportation Corporation bus (M101) replaced Third Avenue Railway's Third and Amsterdam Avenues Line streetcar on May 28, 1947. Routes combined as a one-way pair on July 17, 1960 and kept the route number M101. Portion south of Cooper Union split off into route M103 in 1996. 11.13 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank tenth out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M102	Route M101A was started in the 1960s or 1970s; became M102 in July 1974. Portion south of Cooper Union split off into M103 in 1996. 5.83 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 34th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M103	Former southern portion of routes M101 and M102 split off into new route in 1996. 5.09 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 45th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M104	Surface Transportation Corporation bus (M104) replaced Third Avenue Railway's Broadway Line streetcar on December 15, 1946. 7.49 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 23rd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M106	Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority began operating bus in 1962 as the M107. First became a branch of the M19 (which is now the M96), then the M106 in 1996. 0.56 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 173rd out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.
M116	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus (M20 - 20) replaced New York Railways' 116th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936. Route M20 became M116 ca. 1989. 2.6 million annual ridership in 2008. Rank 106th out of 194 New York City Transit local bus routes.

Former routes

Except for early Fifth Avenue Coach Company routes, which were approved by the New York Legislature, all routes were assigned a franchise by the city, numbered in order from M1 to at least M47 and M100 to M106. Most companies used these numbers, but the New York Omnibus Corporation gave its routes numbers from 1 to 22, and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company used numbers from 1 to 20. The public designations were not changed to avoid conflicts until July 1974.

Fifth Avenue Coach Company

Designation			Route
Public	1974	Current
1	M1		Fifth Avenue
2	M2		Fifth and Seventh Avenues
3	M3		Fifth, St. Nicholas, and Convent Avenues
4	M4		Fifth Avenue and Fort Washington Avenues
5	M5		Fifth Avenue, Riverside Drive, and Broadway
6	M30	M30/M72	72nd Street Crosstown
15	M32	Q32	Fifth Avenue-Queensboro Bridge-Jackson Heights
16	Q89	N/A	Elmhurst Crosstown
19	M5		Fifth Avenue and Riverside Drive
20	M28	M57	57th Street Crosstown

New York City Omnibus Corporation

Designation				Route
Franchise	Public	1974	Current
M25	1/2	M1		Fourth and Madison Avenues
M21	3/4	(M101)		Lexington and Lenox Avenues
M23	5	(M6/M7)		Sixth Avenue
M22	6/7	M6/M7		Broadway and Columbus and Lenox Avenues
M24	8/9	(M10)		Seventh Avenue
M41	10	M10	M10/M20	Eighth Avenue and Central Park West
M42	11	M11		Ninth and Amsterdam Avenues
M2	12	M12	N/A	Spring and Delancey Streets Crosstown
M16	13	M13	M8	Eighth Street Crosstown
M17	14	M14		14th Street Crosstown
M18	15	M26	M23	23rd Street Crosstown
M19	16	M16	M16/M34	34th Street Crosstown
M4	17	M17	M79	79th Street Crosstown
M5	18	M18	M86	86th Street Crosstown
M6	19	M19	M96	96th Street Crosstown
M20	20	M20	M116	116th Street Crosstown
M40	21	M21		Houston Street and Avenue C Crosstown
M45	22	N/A		Pitt and Ridge Streets
M62	TB	M34	M35	Manhattan-Wards Island via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
MQ25	TB	M35	N/A	Manhattan-Queens via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
BxQ19	TB	Bx21	N/A	Bronx-Queens via Robert F. Kennedy Bridge

Other companies

Designation				Company	Route	Notes
Franchise	Public	1974	Current
M1		M22	M22	Comprehensive	Madison and Chambers Streets Crosstown
M3		M27	M50	Comprehensive	49th and 50th Streets Crosstown
M7		M29	M66	Comprehensive	65th Street Crosstown
M8			N/A	East Broadway	Grand Street Crosstown
M9				East Broadway	Avenue B
M10	see M40			Hamilton Bus Corporation	Houston Street and Avenue C
M11		M31		East Side	York Avenue
M12		N/A		East Side	86th Street and York Avenue
M13		N/A		East Side	First Avenue
M14		N/A		East Side	First and Second Avenues
M15				East Side	First and Second Avenues
M100				Surface	Broadway-Kingsbridge
M101				Surface	Third Avenue-Amsterdam Avenue
M102		N/A		Surface	125th Street Crosstown	Only operated from June 29 to July 1, 1947 (125th Street is still served by the M60 and Bx15)
M103			N/A	Surface	59th Street Crosstown
M104				Surface	Broadway
M105		N/A		Surface	Tenth Avenue
M106			M42	Surface	42nd Street Crosstown

Listed below are routes that were renumbered or eliminated in or after 1962.

Route	Major streets	History
M8	Grand Street and Broome Street
M12	Spring Street, Prince Street, Delancey Street, and Williamsburg Bridge to Williamsburg, Brooklyn
M13	see M8
M14C	14 Street and Avenue C	Eliminated in 2002.
M17	see M79
M18	see M86
M19	see M96 and M106
M20	see M116
M26	see M23
M28	see M57
M29	see M66
M32	see Q32
M34	see M35
M41	"Culture Bus Loop I"
M58	57th Street	Replaced the M103 on September 1, 1989; merged with the M31 in 1994.
M101A	see M102
M103	West End Avenue and 59th Street	Surface Transportation Corporation bus (M103) replaced Third Avenue Railway's 59th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on November 11, 1946. Discontinued on September 1, 1989
M105	Tenth Avenue and Broadway	Surface Transportation Corporation bus (M105) replaced Third Avenue Railway's Tenth Avenue Line (Manhattan surface) streetcar on November 17, 1946. Buses moved to Eleventh Avenue on November 6, 1948, when Tenth Avenue became one-way. Discontinued in 1962.
M106	see M42
M107	see M96 and M106
Grand Street Shuttle bus	Service between Canal Street and Grand Street subway stations	The shuttle bus service was established during the Manhattan Bridge construction 2001-2004. It was discontinue in 2004 when subway service restored.
train shuttle bus	Service between 135th Street and Harlem–148th Street subway stations.	The shuttle bus service was established in 1995 and ended in July 2008. Late nights only; replacement for IRT Lenox Avenue Line subway service north of 135th Street.

References

• MTA NYC Transit - Bus Service
• Chicago Transit & Railfan Web Site: New York City Transit
• www.nycsubway.org: Local Bus Companies of Manhattan

1. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m001cur.pdf M1 schedule
2. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m002cur.pdf M2 schedule
3. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m003cur.pdf M3 schedule
4. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m004cur.pdf M4 schedule
5. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m005cur.pdf M5 schedule
6. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m006cur.pdf M6 schedule
7. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m007cur.pdf M7 schedule
8. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m008cur.pdf M8 schedule
9. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m009cur.pdf M9 schedule
10. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m010cur.pdf M10 schedule
11. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m011cur.pdf M11 schedule
12. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m014cur.pdf M14A schedule
13. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m014cur.pdf M14D schedule
14. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m015cur.pdf M15 schedule
15. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m034cur.pdf M16 schedule
16. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m018cur.pdf M18 schedule
17. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m020cur.pdf M20 schedule
18. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m021cur.pdf M21 schedule
19. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m022cur.pdf M22 schedule
20. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m023cur.pdf M23 schedule
21. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m050cur.pdf M27 schedule
22. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m030cur.pdf M30 schedule
23. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m031cur.pdf M31 schedule
24. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m034cur.pdf M34 schedule
25. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m035cur.pdf M35 schedule
26. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m042cur.pdf M42 schedule
27. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m050cur.pdf M50 schedule
28. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m057cur.pdf M57 schedule
29. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m060cur.pdf M60 schedule
30. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m066cur.pdf M66 schedule
31. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m072cur.pdf M72 schedule
32. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m079cur.pdf M79 schedule
33. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m086cur.pdf M86 schedule
34. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m096cur.pdf M96 schedule
35. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m098cur.pdf M98 schedule
36. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m100cur.pdf M100 schedule
37. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m101cur.pdf M101 schedule
38. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m102cur.pdf M102 schedule
39. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m103cur.pdf M103 schedule
40. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m104cur.pdf M104 schedule
41. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m106cur.pdf M106 schedule
42. http://mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m116cur.pdf M116 schedule
43. [1] Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation shuttle bus
44. http://www.downtownny.com/?sid=19 Downtown Connection bus service
45. MTA New York City Transit data annual ridership in 2008. (access date 10-21-2009)
46. New York Times, New Bus Service Sunday, January 26, 1951, page 23
47. New York Times, Coming Transit Reductions: What They Mean for You, August 20, 1995, section 13, page 10
48. New York Times, Buses to Link 2 Rivers Via 57th St. Monday, March 12, 1937, page 18
49. New York City Transit - History and Chronology, accessed March 12, 2007
50. New York Times, Crosstown Buses Start on 65th St., February 16, 1935, page 15
51. New York Times, Bus Franchises Vague on Service, March 1, 1962, page 20; New York Times, 5th Ave. Bus Line Sues Quill Union for $37,305,000, March 10, 1962, page 1
52. New York City Omnibus Corporation Motor Coach Routes, ca. 1940
53. New York Times, Lines Operating in Manhattan, March 3, 1962, page 24; New York Times, Lines Operating in Manhattan, March 5, 1962, page 47
54. MTA Manhattan Bus Map, 1974
55. New York Times, Listing of Routes Hit by Strike, March 5, 1962, page 47; New York Times, Buses Running, March 23, 1962, page 21
56. http://images.nycsubway.org/maps/bus-1974cult1.jpg Former route M41 map and information
57. http://www.1010wins.com/pages/2665771.php?