NYC dollar vans threatened by Mamdani's push to speed buses
The unlicensed network of dollar vans that hustle up and down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn is on a collision course with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push to speed up bus service.
The vans are faster and cheaper than the city’s official buses. And unlike the MTA’s buses, they take cash — a flat $2 fare.
But they’re also illegal and peel business away from the transit agency. MTA Chair Janno Lieber has for years called for the city to kick them off the road.
He may finally get his wish as Mamdani pursues his plan announced earlier this month to implement “bus rapid transit” on Flatbush Avenue from downtown Brooklyn to Kings Plaza, which would add “dedicated bus lanes,” more frequent service and “techniques that give [buses] a head start at intersections.”
The first stage of the Flatbush redesign stretching from Grand Army Plaza to Livingston Street has already changed dollar van operations. Several drivers said they now avoid driving north of Grand Army Plaza to avoid traffic caused by ongoing construction of protected lanes and concrete islands for bus riders.
