View source for Bee-Line Bus System

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Short description|Bus system in Westchester County, New York}}
{{Infobox Bus transit
| name            = Westchester County Bee-Line System
| logo            = BeeLineBus.svg
| logo_size       = 250px
| image           = Westchester County Bee-Line System 364-a.jpg<!--Do not substitute, unless you are substituting a FREE USE pic. This pic is a FREE USE pic from the Commons.-->
| image_size      = 250px
| image_caption   = New Flyer XDE60 #364 operates on Route 21 limited stops towards Bedford Park.
| parent          = Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation
| founded         = May 1, 1978
| headquarters    = 100 East First Street, 9th Floor<br>[[Mount Vernon, New York|Mount Vernon]], [[New York (state)|NY]] 10550
| locale          = [[Westchester County, New York]]
| service_area    = [[Westchester County, New York]] and [[Putnam County, New York]]; [[The Bronx]] and [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]; and [[Greenwich, Connecticut]]
| service_type    = Local, Limited, express, shuttle buses
| alliance        =
| routes          = 64
| destinations    =
| stops           =
| hubs            =
| stations        =
| lounge          =
| fleet           = 327 fixed route<br>91 paratransit
| ridership       = 81,613 <small>(2024)</small><ref name=NTD1>{{cite web |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/transit_agency_profile_doc/2024/20076.pdf |title=Bee Line Bus System 2024 Annual Agency Profile |website=Federal Transit Administration}}</ref>
| fuel_type       = [[Diesel fuel|Diesel]], [[Diesel-electric]] hybrid
| operator        =
* [[Liberty Lines Transit, Inc.]]<br><small>(all fixed routes except 16, 18, and 31)<br></small>
* P.T.L.A. Enterprise, Inc.<br><small>(16, 18 and 31)<br></small>
* Suburban Paratransit Service<br><small>([[Mobico Group]] subsidiary)</small><br><small>(paratransit)</small>
| ceo             = Hugh J. Greechan, Jr., P.E., Commissioner
| website         = [http://transportation.westchestergov.com/ Bee-Line Bus System]
}}
The '''Westchester County Bee-Line System''', branded on the buses in lowercase as '''''the bee-line system'''''<!--The print on the buses is in lower case---keep as such.-->, is a [[bus]] system serving [[Westchester County, New York]]. The system is owned by the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation.

==History==
The system was founded on May 1, 1978, by the then Westchester County Department of Transportation to consolidate the bus system with thirteen private bus companies and has been given control over the buses, fare structure, routes, and services. By the 1980s, the bus system had an identity problem in who was providing the service. On May 19, 1987, WCDOT officially named the bus service "The Bee-Line System" with a 'bee-in-flight' mascot drawn by cartoonist [[Jack Davis (cartoonist)|Jack Davis]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Singh-Report.pdf |title=Variable Fares for Elderly & Handicapped Transit Riders: An Analysis of Westchester County }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kriss |first1=Gary |title=Bus System Gets a Name And a Logo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/24/nyregion/bus-system-gets-a-name-and-a-logo.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2021-07-07 |date=1987-05-24}}</ref>

The Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation currently contracts out to two private bus companies to provide service in Westchester County and the surrounding counties: [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]]-based [[Liberty Lines Transit, Inc.]], the main company that either bought out or obtained franchises from the other twelve bus companies over the years, operates buses on all but three bus routes; and [[Cortlandt Manor, New York|Cortlandt Manor]]-based P.T.L.A. Enterprise, Inc., a small company that operates buses on routes 16, 18, and 31.

==Scope of service==
[[File:Valhalla Bee-line HQ jeh.jpg|thumb|left|The Cerrato Satellite Bus Facility in Valhalla]]
Most Bee-Line routes operate seven days a week. Before 2025, there was no service county-wide on two days of the calendar year, [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] (the fourth Thursday in November), and [[Christmas]] (December 25).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://transportation.westchestergov.com/images/stories/Schedules/2025holidayschedules.pdf|title=2025 Holiday Schedules|website=transportation.westchestergov.com|access-date=2025-05-17}}</ref>

===Within Westchester===
{{main|List of bus routes in Westchester County}}
The system's 64 routes are mostly concentrated in the more urban southern portion of the county, with the cities of [[Mount Vernon, New York|Mount Vernon]], [[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]], and [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]] receiving a high frequency of service. [[White Plains, New York|White Plains]], the county seat and most centrally located city, is a major transportation hub with many routes converging on the city's TransCenter.

Service in the northern portion of Westchester is sparse and is concentrated near slightly populated areas such as [[Mount Kisco]], [[Ossining (village), New York|Ossining]], or [[Peekskill]]. Areas such as [[Lewisboro, New York|Lewisboro]], [[North Salem, New York|North Salem]], and [[Pound Ridge, New York|Pound Ridge]] receive paratransit service only. During the school year, special bus routes also operate. All but the county's smallest, most rural communities have at least [[rush hour]] service.<ref name=Bee-Line-Service>{{cite web |url= https://transportation.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/SmartC/wcdotsysmapeng032025.pdf |date=March 2025 |title=Bee-Line System Map |website= transportation.westchestergov.com |access-date= 2025-05-17}}</ref>

===Outside Westchester===
Because Westchester County borders on the [[New York City]] [[borough (New York City)|borough]] of [[the Bronx]], many of the Bee-Line's routes operate into the Bronx, offering Westchester residents connections to [[MTA New York City Transit]] [[MTA Regional Bus Operations|buses]] and [[New York City Subway|subways]]; at least one Bee-Line route connects to each [[List of New York City Subway stations in the Bronx#Lines and services|subway route]] serving the Bronx. The Bee-Line System also operates an express route, the '''BxM4C''' from White Plains, [[Greenburgh, New York|Greenburgh]], [[Hartsdale, New York|Hartsdale]], [[Scarsdale, New York|Scarsdale]], and Yonkers along [[New York State Route 100|Central Park Avenue]] to [[Fifth Avenue]] in [[Manhattan]] (return trips operate on [[Madison Avenue]] within Manhattan).

Bee-Line operates mostly closed-door service in the Bronx (local service is not provided solely for travel within the Bronx; appropriate MTA Regional Bus Operations service must be used instead). The only exceptions are:
* '''Routes 40, 41, 42 and 43''', which run along [[White Plains Road]] north of the [[Wakefield – 241st Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)|Wakefield – 241st Street]] subway terminal;
* '''Route 45''', which serves the [[Pelham Bay Park (IRT Pelham Line)|Pelham Bay Park]] subway terminal, the Pelham Bay and Split Rock Golf Course, and the [[Bartow-Pell Mansion]];
* '''Route 54''', which runs on Mundy Lane along the Bronx/Mount Vernon border, since no other bus routes travel entirely through these areas;
* '''Routes 60 and 61''', which run along [[U.S. Route 1 in New York|US Route 1]] ([[Fordham Road|East Fordham]] and [[Boston Post Road|Boston]] roads in the Bronx).

In addition, '''Route 12''' briefly enters [[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich]], [[Connecticut]] along [[New York State Route 120A|King Street]], in which it makes stops in Greenwich and [[Rye Brook, New York]] along the New York/Connecticut border; '''Route 16''' briefly enters [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam County]] to serve the Mahopac Village Centre; and '''Route 77''' enters Putnam County to serve the [[U.S. Route 6 in New York|US Route 6]] corridor between [[Mahopac, New York|Mahopac]] and [[Carmel, New York|Carmel]].<ref name="Bee-Line-Service"/>

==Fares==
{{see also|New York City transit fares}}
All fares require exact change or [[MetroCard (New York City)|MetroCard]]. All transfers are free with payment of fare. Dollar bills are not accepted on any Bee-Line System buses.<ref name="Fares-and-MetroCard">[http://transportation.westchestergov.com/bee-line/fares-and-metrocard Fares and MetroCard]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;"
!Route
!Full fare
!Senior/<br>disabled fare
!Transfer<br><small>All transfers good for 2 hours</small>
!7-day unlimited ride [[MetroCard (New York City)|MetroCard]]
!30-day unlimited ride [[MetroCard (New York City)|MetroCard]]
|-align="center"
!'''All except BxM4C'''
|$2.75
|$1.35
|
* '''Cash''': Valid on [[MTA Bus Company|MTA Bus]] local buses, [[New York City Transit Authority|NYC Transit]] local, limited stop, and [[Select Bus Service]] buses, [[Connecticut Transit Stamford|CT Transit]], or [[Putnam Transit]]
* '''MetroCard''':
** free to MTA local buses, subways, and other Bee-Line services
** $3.75 "step-up" charge for transferring to an MTA Bus express route
|$34<br><small>$17 with Reduced Fare ID</small>
|$132<br><small>$66 with Reduced Fare ID</small>
|-align="center"
!'''BxM4C'''
|$7.50
|$3.75<br><small>(Off peak only)</small>
|
* '''No transfers accepted or issued'''
| colspan="2" |No Unlimited-Ride MetroCards accepted
|-align="center"
| colspan="6" |'''Notes:'''
* All customers transferring to [[Lower Hudson Transit Link|Hudson Link]], [[Connecticut Transit Stamford|CT Transit's 971 or Route 311/311B]], or [[Putnam Transit]] must use a paper transfer.
* There is a $1.25 "step-up" charge for customers transferring from CT Transit Route 311/311B to Bee-Line buses in Port Chester.
* For the BxM4C, off-peak is:
** first two and last two departures to Manhattan
** First departure and last four departures from Manhattan
|}
Bee-Line Bus started accepting MetroCard on April 1, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/metrocard/beeline.htm |title=MTA NYC Transit MetroCard – Westchester Bee-Line Buses |date=April 2007 |website=mta.info |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528165951/http://www.mta.info/metrocard/beeline.htm |archive-date=2007-05-28 |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=2017-05-15}}</ref> The fare for the BxM4C went down from $7 to $5. The regular fare was $2 for MetroCard, and $1.75 if paid in cash. Dollar bills, passports, and ticket books were no longer accepted for fare payment after this date.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2007pr/metroAllAbout.htm |title=All About MetroCard in Westchester |date=April 2007 |website=westchestergov.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831194920/http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2007pr/metroAllAbout.htm |archive-date=2007-08-31 |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=2017-05-15}}</ref> MetroCard Vans made stops on heavily used routes to help people get ready for the MetroCard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2007pr/metrocardvanschedule.htm |title=MetroCard Van Schedule |date=April 2007 |website=westchestergov.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901231800/http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2007pr/metrocardvanschedule.htm |archive-date=2007-09-01 |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=2017-05-15 }}</ref> On July 23, 2019, it was announced that the Bee-Line bus fare system on all buses would be upgraded to the [[OMNY]] fare system in 2021–2022, replacing the MetroCard. The Westchester County Department of Transportation states that "OMNY is targeted for introduction on the Bee-Line Bus System beginning in 2022 at the earliest." OMNY hasn't been installed {{as of|2025|05|lc=y}}, but is expected to be installed in 2025 to 2026. MetroCard will continue to be accepted by New York City Transit subways and buses and Bee-Line service until 2026, enabling Bee-Line passengers to have the option of using MetroCard or OMNY during the transition phase. By 2026, MetroCard will be discontinued and all Bee-Line passengers will then use OMNY. The Reduced-Fare MetroCard Program will also be converted over to OMNY.<ref>{{Cite web|title=OMNY/Bee-line|url=https://transportation.westchestergov.com/omny|access-date=2025-05-17|website=transportation.westchestergov.com}}</ref>

For certain periods during the summer and winter of 2022, the buses were fare-free.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/9685-county-executive-george-latimer-announces-free-rides-on-the-bee-line-bus-for-the-holiday-season|title=County Executive George Latimer Announces Free Rides on the Bee-Line Bus for the Holiday Season|publisher=Westchester County|date=2022-11-16|accessdate=2022-12-23}}</ref> During the summers of 2023 and 2024, buses were fare free until Labor Day.

==Fleet==

===Active fleet===
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2025}}
{{as of|2025}}, the Bee-Line System had 325 buses in its fleet, of which 40 were diesel vehicles and the rest were hybrid or electric vehicles.<ref>{{cite press release | date=January 30, 2023 | title=Bee-Line System Receives Order Of 106 Hybrid-Electric Buses | website=www.westchestergov.com | url=https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/9750-bee-line-system-receives-order-of-106-hybrid-electric-buses | access-date=September 16, 2025}}</ref> This roster only lists buses and shuttle vans used in fixed route service. [[Paratransit]] vehicles are not listed. All buses are wheelchair accessible.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|- align="center"
!Fleet numbers
!Year
!Photo
!Manufacturer
! width="150px" |Model
! width="50px" |Length
! width="50px" |Width
!Engines
!Transmission
|- align="center"
|116–136
|2005
|[[Image:Bee-Line Orion 136.jpg|150x150px]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Orion Bus Industries]]
|[[Orion V|Orion V 05.505]]
|{{convert|32|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|96|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR
| rowspan="2" |[[Allison Transmission|Allison]] [[Allison Bus Series|B400R]]
|- align="center"
|801–830
|2008
|[[Image:Bee-Line System Orion V 05.501 suburban single door 801.jpg|150x150px]]
|[[Orion V|Orion V 05.501]]
| rowspan="2" |{{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| rowspan="10"|{{convert|102|in|m|abbr=on}}
|[[Cummins]] [[Cummins ISL|ISL]]
|- align="center"
|205-299
|2010
|[[File:Bee-Line System NABI 40LFW (model year 2009).jpg|150x150px]]
|[[North American Bus Industries]]
|[[NABI 40-LFW|NABI 40-LFW HEV]]
|[[Cummins ISL9]]
|[[Allison Transmission|Allison]] E<sup>P</sup>40 Hybrid System
|- align="center"
|301–378
|2018–2020
|[[File:302 XDE60 Bee Line.jpeg|150x150px]]
| rowspan="6" |[[New Flyer Industries]]
|[[Xcelsior|Xcelsior XDE60 articulated]]
|{{convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|[[Cummins]] [[Cummins L9|L9]]
|BAE Systems
HDS300
hybrid system
|- align="center"
|100–106
|2023
|
|[[Xcelsior|Xcelsior XDE35]]
| rowspan="2" |{{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|[[Cummins]] [[Cummins B Series engine|B6.7]]
|BAE Systems
HDS200
hybrid system
|- align="center"
|141–144
|2021
|[[File:XE35 bee line.jpg|128px]]
|[[Xcelsior|Xcelsior XE35]]
|rowspan="2" | Siemens HV1DB2016
|rowspan="2" |Siemens ELFA2
|- align="center"
|145–146
|2021
|
[[File:XE40BeeLine.jpg|128px|XE40 on the 66]]
|[[Xcelsior|Xcelsior XE40]]
| rowspan="3" |{{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|- align="center"
|398–503
|2021–2022
|[[File:BeelineXDE40.jpg|frameless|128x128px]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Xcelsior|Xcelsior XDE40]]
|rowspan="2" | [[Cummins]] [[Cummins L9|L9]]
|rowspan="2" |BAE Systems
HDS200
hybrid system
|- align="center"
|504–515
|2023–2024
|[[File:XDE40 Bee-Line.jpg|frameless|128x128px]]
|}

===Future fleet===
In February 2020, it was announced that Westchester County's Bee-Line Bus fleet would be expanding with 78 hybrid-electric 60-foot buses (all delivered by summer 2020), 106 hybrid-electric 40-foot buses and two 40-foot battery-electric buses – all built by New Flyer Industries – under a plan to have the entire transit bus fleet running on either fully electric or diesel-electric hybrid technology by 2025. As of July 2020, 106 40-foot diesel-electric buses and two 40-foot battery-electric are planned to be delivered between 2021 and 2025. Four 35-foot battery-electric buses are also planned to be delivered, totaling 6 battery-electric buses by 2025.<ref>{{cite press release |date=2020-02-04 |title=Westchester Awarded $3M For Hybrid-Electric Buses From New York State|url=https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/8265-westchester-awarded-3m-for-hybrid-electric-buses-from-new-york-state |website=westchestergov.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |date=2020-06-05 |title=Westchester County to Expand Its Electric Vehicle Fleet with $1.5M Grant from the US Department of Transportation |url=https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/8502-westchester-county-to-expand-its-electric-vehicle-fleet-with-1-5m-grant-from-the-us-department-of-transportation |website=westchestergov.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |date=2020-07-21 |title=Going Green: County Approves Nearly $4.5M Bond For Electric Buses|url=https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/8563-going-green-county-approves-nearly-4-5m-bond-for-electric-buses|website=westchestergov.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bee-Line Bus System}}
* [http://transportation.westchestergov.com/ Bee-Line Bus System]
* [https://www.angelfire.com/ny5/nebuses/rosters/westchester.html Bee-Line Roster as of 2002]

{{NYC surface transit}}

[[Category:1978 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Bus transportation in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Paratransit services in the United States]]
[[Category:Surface transportation in Greater New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Yonkers, New York]]