M86 (New York City bus)

m86
86th Street Crosstown Line
A 2019 XE60 (4961) on the M86 SBS on East 86th Street in June 2024.
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority
Garage	Michael J. Quill Depot
Vehicle	Nova Bus LFS articulated New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 New Flyer Xcelsior XE60 (main vehicles) New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 Nova Bus LFS HEV (supplemental service)
Livery	Select Bus Service
Began service	1872 (streetcar) 1936 (M18 bus) 1989 (M86 bus)
Route
Locale	Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities served	Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Yorkville
Landmarks served	Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asphalt Green
Start	Upper West Side – West End Avenue and West 86th Street
Via	86th Street, York Avenue
End	Yorkville – East 92nd Street and York Avenue
Length	2.3 miles (3.7 km)
Service
Operates	All times[1]
Annual patronage	4,051,779 (2023) [2]
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	M86 SBS
Route map Legend West Side – Broadway  M86  Amsterdam Avenue Columbus Avenue Central Park West ​ 85th Street Transverse 5th Avenue / 86th Street 5th Avenue / 84th Street Madison Avenue Lexington Avenue ​​ 3rd Avenue 2nd Avenue 1st Avenue York Avenue / 88th Street York Avenue / 91st Street 1st Avenue / 91st Street Yorkville – York Avenue (92nd Street)  M86  Legend Two-way stop Two-way stop without machines One-way stop  M86  Terminal Subway connection ← M79 SBS ← M79 SBS (by borough) ← B82 SBS (by route number)  {{{system_nav}}}  M96 → Q44 SBS →

The 86th Street Crosstown Line is a bus line in Manhattan, New York City, running mostly along 86th Street on the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. Originally a streetcar line, it now comprises the M86 Select Bus Service bus line.

The M86 has the highest "per-mile ridership" of all bus routes in the city, and the second highest ridership of all Manhattan crosstown routes after the M14A/D routes along 14th Street.^[3] Because of this, the M86 became a Select Bus Service route in July 2015.

The 86th Street Crosstown Line was originally a streetcar line operated by the New York Railways Company. The route originally ran between Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) and the 92nd Street ferry terminal in Yorkville. At the terminal, passengers connected to ferries traveling across the East River to Astoria, Queens.^[4][5][6] It was the last of the company's lines to begin operation. It was also the only line in Manhattan to cross Central Park.^[4]

The M86 bus runs crosstown along 86th Street in Upper Manhattan. The route begins at West 86th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side. It proceeds east along 86th Street to Central Park West, then crosses the 86th Street Transverse through the park, stopping about halfway through the transverse at the NYPD Central Park Precinct. The M86 exits the transverse at East 84th Street and 5th Avenue, turning north onto Madison Avenue, then east back onto 86th Street. The M86 continues on East 86th Street through the Upper East Side until York Avenue, where it turns north and runs through Yorkville. At East 91st Street, the route turns west and terminates at First Avenue.^[1][7][8]

Westbound buses begin service at East 92nd Street and York Avenue, at the Asphalt Green fitness center, and run essentially the same route along York Avenue and 86th Street. At West 86th Street and Broadway, the route turns north then west onto West 87th Street, terminating at West End Avenue.^[1][7][8]

Unlike other SBS routes and most bus rapid transit lines, the M86 SBS does not have long bus lanes, but rather employs short queue jump lanes, which give buses priority at intersections.^[3][9]

In April and May 1872, two separate streetcar franchises along 86th Street were granted to the Second Avenue Railroad Company and the New York and Harlem Railroad, respectively. The Second Avenue Railroad received the rights to build a line east of Second Avenue, then north along York Avenue (then called Avenue A) to 92nd Street. The New York and Harlem Railroad, meanwhile, were permitted to construct a line west of Second Avenue, connecting with their Madison Avenue Line.^[6] On April 30, 1890, the two companies agreed to give each other rights to operate on the trackage of the 86th Street Line.^[6] Around this time, the City of New York constructed trolley tracks on the 85th/86th Street Transverse Road crossing Central Park.^[6][10][11] On May 11, 1893, the New York and Harlem received the rights to operate on the Transverse Road tracks.^[6] On June 11, 1896, the New York and Harlem Railroad leased its streetcar lines to the Metropolitan Street Railway.^[6]

On November 12, 1908, the 86th Street Line was temporarily truncated to Second Avenue. This occurred when the Metropolitan Street Railway, a subsidiary of New York Railways, was turned over to creditors when New York Railways went into receivership; the portion of the 86th Street Line east of Second Avenue also went to the receivers, due to the original 1872 franchises. Travel to the 92nd Street Ferry required transferring between trolleys and paying additional fare.^[6]

The line was turned over once again to the New York and Harlem Railroad, now a subsidiary of New York Railways, from February 1, 1920 to December 17, 1932. Afterwards, it returned to New York Railways.^[4][12][13]

On November 3, 1919, the City of New York began operating municipal bus service to replace abandoned New York Railways lines, including the Delancey−Spring Streets Line. At this time, the city also began operating competing bus service along the 86th Street route, called "Route D".^[14][15]

New York City Omnibus Corporation replaced New York Railways's streetcars with the M5–18 bus on June 8, 1936.^[4][12][16]

The M18 was renumbered the M86 in 1989 to match the number of the crosstown street that it runs on.^[17][18]

60-foot (18 m)-long articulated buses were added to the M86 and M79 routes in 2000. Bus stops were lengthened along the routes to accommodate the new buses, while some closely spaced stops were eliminated.^[19][20]

Beginning on June 1, 2010, the M86 was part of a six-month trial testing MasterCard PayPass as a tap-and-go smart card payment system. The trial included seven other MTA bus routes, three NJ Transit bus routes, as well as the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and PATH subway routes.^[21][22]

The M86 was identified as a potential bus rapid transit corridor in 2009, under Phase II of the city's Select Bus Service program.^[23] To accommodate the Select Bus Service conversion, 86th Street was to be renovated with pedestrian sidewalk extensions at intersections; bus bulbs, or pedestrian sidewalk extensions at bus stops; plants and trees; and new benches.^[24][25]

The M86 SBS route debuted on July 13, 2015.^[26][27] It was the fourth corridor in Manhattan and the fifth Manhattan bus line to have Select Bus Service.^[28]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to M86 (New York City bus).

• M86 Select Bus Service − mta.info
• 86th Street Select Bus Service − NYCDOT