Wait, the M42? Why does this bus even exist when both the 7 and Times Square shuttle exist?! Well, unfortunately, the 7 doesn’t have a stop near 1st or 2nd Ave., and neither does the Times Square shuttle. The shuttle also doesn’t have a stop in the far west side of Manhattan around 11th Avenue. Thus, where this comes in. Let’s take a look at how painful a route this is.
Functionally, it’s a straight shot across 42nd Street and should be a cakewalk. However, unfortunately, this route is easily the biggest offender in regards to crowding, and it was total hell to even get the photos for this review. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a 40 foot bus that was so horribly crowded I genuinely felt claustrophobic just riding it. I’d legitimately take 3 consecutive Q38 roundtrips (pre-Queens BNR) before taking a singular M42 ride again. It probably would take as long, anyways. So, from the outset leaving 12th Avenue, the bus was standing room only and it was already pure hell. Why can’t the MTA use bendy buses? At least, it was smooth sailing until 8th Ave., with the connection to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Some people got off here, presumably to connect with either the A, C, E, NJT buses, or an intercity carrier, but I think the bus got MORE full. At this point, the bus began really crawling too. Legit, it felt like it’d be faster to walk and that I was cheated out of $2.90. We eventually made it to Times Square. A couple offs, but no ons. Change for the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and IRT shuttle lines.
Yep. This was quite a slogfest. Hated it. 6th Ave.-Bryant Park crawled by, with another 7 connection (at 5th Ave.) and to the BDFM lines, followed by Grand Central with yet another 7 and shuttle connection – but this time, also with the 4, 5, 6, Metro-North, and LIRR. Woah! And, eventually, after crawling for so long, we made it past Park Avenue, 2nd Avenue (with a planned stop for the T line once it gets funded in 25 billion years from now), and 1st Ave. at the UN headquarters. FINALLY.
The good: It serves all the cross avenues on 42nd Street! And, as such, hits some very important spots including the ferries on 12th Ave., the PABT, Times Square, Bryant Park, Grand Central, and even the UN headquarters! I wonder if any diplomats use the bus…
The bad: IT FELT LIKE IT TOOK ALMOST AN HOUR TO GO TWO MILES. Officially, it’s timetabled to take about 25 minutes, which is STILL pretty bad. I think in practice it was closer to 40 for me. It’s a bloody slogfest though, worsened by Midtown traffic. SBS-ifying the route would not help.
Nearby points of interest: A LOT. Times Square, the Port Authority, the waterfront, the UN, Grand Central, Bryant Park, the NY Public Library’s central branch, among other places.
Overall, PLEASE. THIS BUS ROUTE NEEDS JESUS. I FEEL WRONG EVEN SAYING THAT, BUT IT NEEDS HELP. IT NEEDS TO BE PUT OUT OF ITS MISERY AND KILLING IT ISN’T THE ANSWER. Maybe give it bendy buses to alleviate crush-loading issues?
Rating: 2/10 in practice, 8/10 in theory
