Enforcement
To create a culture of courtesy and respect, New York City uses comprehensive enforcement strategies on streets and on buses to clear a path on bus routes. This ensures that everyone uses the streets as intended.
NYC DOT, the New York Police Department (NYPD), and MTA employ a comprehensive, coordinated approach to keep buses moving.
On This Page
Bus Lane Rules
Bus lanes are travel lanes that are restricted to buses during certain hours of the day. All bus lanes have signs posted along the route with specific regulations; lanes are marked "Bus Only" and/or painted red.
Bus lanes keep buses from getting stuck in traffic, making travel for bus riders fast and reliable and improving the overall traffic flow of a corridor.
Unauthorized vehicles may enter a bus lane only to make a right turn at the next city street, to access a curb cut or driveway within 200 feet, or to quickly drop off or pick up passengers.
Review the full list of bus lane regulations found in Section 4-12 of the Rules of the City of New York Review definitions in Section 4-01 of the Rules of the City of New York
Making Right Turns
Unless otherwise restricted, vehicles are permitted to enter the bus lane to make right turns onto the next city street, or to any curb cut within 200 feet of the point of entry. To make a right turn from a bus lane, enter the bus lane safely toward the end of the block you are turning from.
With an offset bus lane, there are some locations where there is a curbside right turn lane before an intersection. Drivers should merge through the bus lane and use the curbside lane to make their turn, so that they do not block the bus.
Parking, Standing and Commercial Loading
If you are actively in the process of parking, you may cross through the offset bus lane to enter the parking space. Please do not block buses by waiting in the lane for someone to leave a parking space – you can get a ticket!
If possible, arrange your pick up or drop off where there is no bus lane – across the street, or on the cross street, for example. However, you may stop in a curbside bus lane for the time it takes for a passenger standing at the curb to enter or exit the vehicle and get onto the sidewalk.
You cannot pick up or deliver goods in a bus lane during the hours it is in effect. Many curbside bus lanes have midday hours where parking and deliveries are permitted, and many streets with bus lanes have delivery space on an opposite curb, or on a cross street. You can use these hours and locations for deliveries or schedule the delivery before or after the bus lanes are in effect.
If you drive, park, or stand in a bus lane during hours of operation you face fines ranging from $50 to $250.
Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE)
ACE is a bus-mounted camera system that issues violations to vehicles occupying bus lanes, double-parked vehicles along bus routes, and vehicles blocking bus stops. ACE is an effective tool to achieve faster, reliable, and safer buses.
On average, bus speeds on routes equipped with ACE have increased by 5% with some corridors seeing gains as high as 30%. These routes have also experienced a 20% reduction in collisions, as well as a 40% reduction in bus stops being blocked by vehicles. Injuries for all road users decreased along ACE corridors (as compared to other bus routes in the borough), with the largest reductions for two-wheeled motorized vehicles and traditional bicycles.
MTA, NYC DOT, and the NYC Department of Finance jointly administer the program.
To learn more about ACE rules and to see which routes have ACE activated, please visit the MTA’s Automated Camera Enforcement page.
Stationary Cameras
NYC DOT installs and maintains stationary, street-mounted enforcement cameras to capture bus lane violations.
Stationary cameras are effective at capturing drivers illegally driving in bus lanes and busways, and complement ACE cameras, which focus on parking and standing violations.
If you receive a bus lane camera violation, you may view the video footage used to issue the violation at violationinfo.com.
NYPD Coordination
Sustained NYPD enforcement at known trouble spots on city streets helps keep buses moving through traffic.
NYPD enforces violations along key bus corridors, where Traffic Enforcement Agents address persistent issues through sustained deployments and prioritize moving buses through traffic.