The 116th Street Line is a public transit line in Manhattan, running mostly along 116th Street. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M116 bus route, operated by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority under the New York City Transit brand. It runs between the Upper West Side and East Harlem.

Route description

The M116 begins at West 106th Street and Broadway, running west on 106th Street until Manhattan Avenue, before running north on Manhattan Avenue and turning to run east on 116th Street until 1st Avenue, where eastbound buses run north and then loop around the Robert F. Wagner Houses to terminate at Pleasant Avenue. Westbound buses run south on Pleasant Avenue to 116th Street to return to the route.

History

The New York City Omnibus Corporation bus started the route (M20-20) on April 1, 1936, to replace the New York Railways' 116th Street Crosstown Line streetcar. It has largely remained the same, with the exception of in 1993, when it, along with some other Manhattan crosstown routes, had their designations changed, with the M20 becoming the M116. As part of a pilot program by the MTA to make five bus routes free (one in each borough), the M116 was selected alongside the B60, Bx18, Q4 and S46/96 to become fare-free in July 2023. The pilot program would last six to twelve months and buses would display a "Fare Free" sign, similar to the one used on the Q70. The pilot will run from September 24, 2023 until at least March 30, 2024. Though ten U.S. Congress members requested in April 2024 that the state government provide additional funding for the fare-free pilot program, state lawmakers declined to reauthorize funding for the program. The fare-free program ended on August 31, 2024.