Free Bee-Line Bus Services Return This Summer
Good news for Westchester residents: free bee-line bus fares are returning for the third year!
Be sure to check out Westchester’s Summer Festivals and Celebrations.
Free-Bee Program
This program first went into effect in 2022 and was a major success throughout Westchester County. County Executive George Latimer announced the return of Free Bee-Line Bus rides this summer alongside Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, DPW and Transportation Commissioner Hugh Greechman, and Evan Latainer, Director of the Office For People with Disabilities.
All residents of Westchester County can enjoy free rides on all buses this summer, including Para-Transit routes. This initiative is not just about free rides; it’s about supporting our local communities, easing transportation costs for families, and encouraging the use of public transportation. As County Executive Latimer puts it, “This initiative not only helps our residents save money but also promotes the use of public transportation, reducing traffic congestion and lowering our carbon footprint. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity and explore all that Westchester County has to offer.” According to Westchester.gov, ‘over 65 percent of all Westchester County residents are within walking distance of a bee-line bus route, making the bus both close and convenient.’ Westchester County is massive, and while many in our communities travel by car or their vehicle, several of our families take advantage of the bee-line bus service that serves all of Westchester.
The Free Bee-Line Bus ride program has been a resounding success each season. DPW and Transportation Commissioner Hugh Greechman stated that executives see a significant increase in ridership throughout the county when the free-bee program goes into effect. Ridership has increased as much as 20% with this program, and last August, executives saw 3 days of over 100,00 riders. This is a testament to the positive impact the program has had on our community, and we’re excited to see it continue this summer.
Executives encourage every member of the community to take advantage of this program. Bee-line buses have received major upgrades over the years, with over 90% now being electric hybrids and fully air-conditioned. While crowds are bound to begin lining up to take free rides this summer, Greechman assured residents that their updated system of monitoring the buses running throughout the county is prepared for this. If things get too crowded, additional buses will be sent out along the routes.
With shuttles, BxM4C/Rte28 Westchester-Manhattan Express, and frequent local buses, there’s a public transportation option for almost everyone. Whether families prefer the express service of the BxM4C/Rte28, the convenience of shuttles, or relying on local buses, all transportation options exist.
When Free-Bee Begins
The free-bee program will run from July 1st through September 2nd, 2024. Regular fares will resume on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024. Residents have about a month before this program goes into effect, but we suggest families start planning their summer of free fares today. With tons of events happening throughout the county, we foresee many families using this free-ride system to get to all of the various festivals, fairs, markets, and fun things coming up this summer.
Planning Your Trips
Families can easily plan their trips in and around Westchester County using the comprehensive trip-planning tool provided by 511NY. It’s important to note that the 511NY trip planning tool does not support Internet Explorer and is best used with Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browsers. All you need to do is enter their starting and destination addresses, and the tool will provide them with various transit options, including rail and bus options.
Families can also plan trips at specific times and develop itineraries by entering their start and end addresses and then clicking on “Show Settings” to input trip times, preferred mode of transit, preferences for quickest trip or fewest transfers, and whether the trip requires wheelchair accessibility.
For the most up-to-date bus schedule information, they can visit the Schedules and Maps and Service Alerts pages.
Families, time to take advantage of the free rides happening all summer long! Reduce your carbon footprint and use the bee-line free bus system this summer.
