The New York Transit Museum’s Bus Festival is back June 10th at Brooklyn Bridge Park
The New York Transit Museum’s famous festival of vintage buses and surface vehicles returns June 10, 2023! At the beloved Bus Festival, guests can explore buses from our vintage fleet, representing more than 90 years of New York City surface transit history.
New York, NY - The New York Transit Museum’s famous festival of vintage buses and surface vehicles returns June 10, 2023! At the beloved Bus Festival, guests can explore buses from our vintage fleet, representing more than 90 years of New York City surface transit history. Enjoy photo ops, meet some of the bus drivers who help keep our city moving, check out our pop-up shop, and take in the view of the Manhattan skyline from the newly restored Emily Warren Roebling Plaza underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Bus Festival is free! The event runs rain or shine, from 10am – 4pm, with 3:30pm as the last entrance time for vehicles.
“After a three-year hiatus, we are thrilled to bring back Bus Festival!” says New York Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga. “We could not be more excited to celebrate the history of surface transportation in the City with our vintage fleet, and there is no better setting than Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, an iconic location for some iconic NYC vehicles!”
The Bus Festival visitors can test their detective and observational skills while exploring buses from the past. Meet us at the Education Tent and pick up a scavenger hunt activity sheet. This activity is fun for visitors of all ages and those who find all items can pick up a special transit-themed temporary tattoo.
Guests can also visit the New York Transit Museum Store pop-up shop for toys and transit merchandise and stop by the Museum’s membership table to learn about Museum exhibits and programs and become a member for perks including one year of free Transit Museum admission!
What: 2023 Bus Festival
When: Saturday, June 10th, 10am to 4pm (last vehicle entrance at 3:30pm)
Where: Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Admission: Free!
More Info: nytransitmuseum.org/BusFestival
Some of this year’s special guests include:
- “Betsy” – In 1930, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company purchased 100 double-decker buses. Bus 1263, known as “Betsy,” was one of the 52 enclosed-top models in this order. In service from 1931 to 1953, Bus 1263 is the oldest vehicle in the Museum’s vintage fleet.
- Bus 2969 – Known as the “Jackie Gleason Bus,” Bus 2969 was renumbered to match the bus that the comedian was photographed in as Ralph Kramden in the classic television series, “The Honeymooners.” It was one of the first 40-foot transit buses and was specifically designed for New York City in 1948 with double-width front doors.
- Bus 3100 – A Fifth Avenue Coach Company prototype bus, this vehicle debuted in 1956 as one of the first air-conditioned transit buses nationwide. Designed and built as an experiment, it features a push-type rear exit door, wrap-around soft seating in the rear, fluorescent lighting, and a swanky green and yellow paint scheme.
- Bus 9098 – This bus was the first model to sport a two-tone green exterior with a contrasting stripe and was also the first type of bus in New York City equipped with sliding windows, fiberglass seats, and rear door safety exits. This innovative system substituted two panel doors for the accordion-type rear doors and interfaced with the bus braking system.
- Bus 100 – This 1959 bus was among the first group of 190 buses that introduced the “New Look” or “Fishbowl” style to New York City. The style, which was developed by GMC in 1959 and prevailed until 1980, features a large bubble-shaped windshield, a single-piece destination sign, and parallelogram windows.
- Bus 5249 – Delivered in 1999, Bus 5249 is the last RTS bus to be ordered for service in New York City. The blue and white buses, with their signature curved windshields, are a familiar sight to generations of New Yorkers who have grown up riding the city streets. It was through these buses, all of which have wheelchair lifts, that New York City Transit became the first major public transit agency to have a fully accessible bus fleet. In 2019, the final remaining RTS buses were retired, ending a near-40-year run in New York City.
NOTE: Vintage equipment on display is subject to change. - The Bus Festival is supported by NEBR.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUM: The New York Transit Museum is the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history and one of the premier institutions of its kind in the world. Since its inception over forty years ago, the Museum – which is housed in a historic 1936 IND subway station in Downtown Brooklyn – has grown in scope and popularity. For nearly 25 years, the Transit Museum has also operated a Gallery & Store in Grand Central Terminal. To learn more, visit nytransitmuseum.org.
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