Gotham Bus Company driver Ralph Kramden would have enjoyed the NYC Transit Museum 30th Annual Bus Festival this past June 10.
It included a display of vintage buses from decades ago. Up until 1969, bus drivers had to make change and drive, at the same time. No one dared bring any food on the bus or leave any litter behind.
In the mid-1960s, air-conditioned buses were just becoming a more common part of the fleet. You had to pay separate fares to ride either the bus or the subway. There was no Metro Cards affording free transfers between bus and subway along with discounted weekly or monthly fares. Employee transit checks to help cover the costs didn’t exist.
This older generation of buses did not include air conditioning we take for granted today. They were non-existent during the 1964-65 New York Worlds Fair. Air-conditioned buses were still a novelty.
In 1966, NYC Transit purchased 600 buses with this new feature. Subsequently, all future new buses would include air conditioning. By the 1990s, 100% of the bus fleet was air-conditioned..
This year marks the 54th Anniversary of NYC Transit bus drivers no longer having to use a coin collector to make change for riders. Aug. 31, 1969 was the first day that bus riders either had to deposit a subway token or the exact amount in coins directly into the fare box.
Drivers would no longer be required to make change. They could concentrate of driving instead of multitasking. It became the passenger’s responsibility to deposit the exact fare in cash or subway token directly into the fare box when boarding the bus.
All the driver had to do was look through the upper portion of the fare box and make sure that the fare was paid. Previously, drivers had to deal with potential robbery while in service due to carrying cash.
Safety increased for drivers, passengers, and buses. There were fewer traffic accidents involving buses. Bus operators spent more time concentrating on driving and less making change for riders.
On‐time performance improved as passenger boarding time sped up.
Drivers no longer had to deal with money when returning to the bus garage. Other transit employees known as “Vault pullers” would unlock the bottom of the farebox and empty the contents.
Coins and subway token revenue would be sorted, counted and wrapped within the safe confines of a secure money room within the garage.
Fast forward to today, and you can see how MTA public transportation using your Metro or OMNY card is still one of the best bargains in town.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.
