NYC Bus System?

Moving to NYC (office by grand central) and know/understand the subway system fairly well, but have no clue about buses. Are these reliable to take to work? I assume traffic jams can blow up your morning commute? I’m looking at a few apartments and the bus ride would be max 15 mins but not sure if it’s a viable option

Thanks!

7 Comments
 

It’s a better experience than the subway — cleaner and less erratic behaviour. That being said, it’s highly unreliable. The Google/Apple map times are incorrect, and sometimes you’ll have two buses on the same route come instantaneously and then no other bus for 30 mins. Even if you time it in the morning, expect a ~15 minute variance.


That being said, traffic shouldn’t be too bad — even during rush hour, once you’re on the bus, you should be fine. Even in peak rush hour, the M42 “coast to coast” shouldn’t be longer than 30 mins. I can’t imagine any other route is more congested.

 
Most Helpful

Taking the buses in Manhattan are pretty reliable. There are dedicated bus lanes so that helps avoid (some) traffic. There's even a number you can text that will automatically update you when the next 3 buses are coming for a particular spot - they tell you immediately and it's 100% accurate. They also tend to be cleaner and have less erratic homeless people compared to the subway. 

I haven't taken the buses outside of Manhattan since I was a teenager 10-15 years ago but I remember they were terrible, always late, and packed. 

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."
 

Tempora iure optio provident non sint eveniet culpa. Et libero soluta veniam voluptas repellendus. A consequatur rerum consequatur consectetur aut totam iusto. Voluptatem cum commodi optio a quia.

Aliquid ullam sunt ducimus omnis qui dolorum dicta. Quia doloremque autem voluptatibus quisquam quas aut delectus. Nihil earum suscipit soluta aspernatur rem aperiam eos. Saepe itaque rerum ut rerum veritatis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”