October 31, 2025

More New Yorkers will soon have a place to sit while waiting for the bus, as the city expands seating at nearly 9,000 bus stops. On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced a $40 million investment to install benches at roughly 8,750 bus stops across the city that currently lack seating. Starting in November, the city will add benches at about 875 stops per year for the next decade, offering seating at a vastly larger number of bus stops citywide.

Credit: NYC Department of Transportation on Flickr

“In the hustle and bustle of the greatest city on earth, sometimes there’s no better feeling than resting on a city bench while New York keeps moving around you,” Rodriguez said. “For many New Yorkers, having a place to sit at the bus stop is more than just a matter of comfort, it’s a matter of whether they can take the bus at all.”

Currently, nearly two-thirds of New York City bus stops lack seating. More than 5,000 bus stops across the city have benches installed. The DOT inspects and maintains seating at over 2,600 of these locations on sidewalks and in plazas across the five boroughs.

Bus stops slated for new seating—in the form of benches or leaning bars—must be located on public property with adequate sidewalk or island space. Stops without enough room for benches will instead receive leaning bars. Of the city’s more than 15,000 bus stops, just over half meet these criteria and qualify for the upgrade, according to amNY.

Transit advocates praised the investment. They noted that buses in some neighborhoods move as slowly as 8 miles per hour, forcing riders—including older adults and people with disabilities—to stand for long periods.

“Bus riders deserve a seat at the table and a seat at every bus stop,” Jolyse Race, senior organizer at the Riders Alliance, said. “Bus riders work the jobs that make New York possible, and we have earned the respect of a safe, comfortable place to wait for service.”

The investment follows advocacy from transit groups calling for more seating and shelters at bus stops. In January, members of Manhattan Community Board 4 sent a letter to the DOT requesting additional benches and shelters along West 23rd Street, as amNY reported.

Adding comfortable bus seating has improved the commuter experience and, more importantly, contributed to a notable decline in traffic fatalities. The initiative is part of the city’s broader Vision Zero program to enhance street safety, according to a press release.

Traffic fatalities fell by 24 percent in Fiscal Year 2025, according to the recently released Mayor’s Management Report. Deaths involving motorized two-wheelers dropped from 99 to 60. Motor vehicle occupant fatalities declined from 54 to 37, and pedestrian deaths decreased from 119 to 110—making FY 2025 one of the safest years for New York City streets in recent memory.

Christine Serdjenian Yearwood, founder and CEO of UP-STAND, said bus stop seating is essential for safe transit for families, helping protect children from traffic and giving pregnant and disabled riders a chance to rest.

“Bus stop seating is essential to safe transit for our city’s families,” Yearwood said. “As the bus network is a vital mode of accessible transportation for us, we are excited that the city has secured funding to expand bus stop seating across all five boroughs.“

She added, “Additional bus stop seating will decrease children’s exposure to moving traffic and enable pregnant and disabled riders the respite they need to travel safely.”

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