Overview
- Seating will be installed only at eligible stops on public property with sufficient space, with leaning bars used where sidewalks or islands are too narrow for benches.
- The Department of Transportation says nearly two-thirds of eligible bus stops currently lack any seating.
- New York City has more than 15,000 bus stops serving about 1.4 million riders daily, with seating already in place at over 5,000 stops and roughly 2,600 locations under DOT maintenance.
- City officials frame the effort as an accessibility upgrade for older adults, parents with young children, and people with disabilities, and transit advocates broadly welcomed the investment.
- Some coverage notes the planned benches include armrests that prevent lying down, drawing criticism as an example of so-called hostile architecture.