New MTA buses hit the streets

The streets of Queens are about to get a new look thanks to MTA’s new fleet of state-of-the-art buses.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that starting Tuesday the MTA will begin to roll out the first of 75 new buses that will be equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.

Earlier this year Cuomo revealed that a total of 2,042 buses would be hitting the city’s streets over the next five years, replacing 40 percent of the current fleet of vehicles.

Seven buses will go into immediate service starting Tuesday and the remaining buses will be delivered at four to five per day. All 75 buses will arrive by the summer and will operate in Richmond Hill, South Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale and Far Rockaway.

“Today, we are reimagining the MTA for the 21st century and creating a transit system that will meet the needs of the next generation of New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “New York is investing the in the MTA like never before, and together we are recapturing the boldness and ambition that made this the Empire State in the first place.”

During Tuesday’s announcement, Cuomo also unveiled the success of a field test for MTA eTix, a free app that would allow customers on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North to purchase train tickets anytime on their mobile devices, instead of having to use paper tickets.

MTA eTix will first debut on the LIRR’s Port Washington Branch and Metro-North’s Hudson Line next month. The agency will then make e-ticketing available to all Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North customers by the end of 2016.

“We see the debut of these new buses and the roll out of the MTA eTix field test as important steps forward as we continue to renew, expand the transit system and create an enhanced experience for our customers,” said Thomas Prendergast, MTA chairman and CEO.