Vintage bus festival rolls into Brooklyn Bridge Park
2019 Bus Festival. Photo by Filip Wolak, New York Transit Museum
Buses of a bygone era will be rolling into Brooklyn Bridge Park. The New York Transit Museum’s annual Bus Festival takes place at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza on Sunday, September 8, bringing a collection of retro buses under the Brooklyn Bridge for transit buffs to explore.
“We are delighted to bring back this beloved tradition and show some bus love to our vintage fleet, against the incredible backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge,” Concetta Bencivenga, director of the New York Transit Museum, said.
“Come spend the day with us and learn about the past, present and future of New York’s surface transportation.”
The free event will include several “special guests,” including “Betsy,” which was part of Fifth Avenue Coach’s 1200 series manufactured in 1930 with three body style designs: open-top, semi-enclosed, and fully-enclosed. The bus is the museum’s oldest in its fleet.
Bus #2969 was one of the first 40-foot transit buses and features a double-wide front door for easier passenger loading and unloading. The 1940s-era bus was renumbered to match the bus Jackie Gleason was photographed in as Ralph Kramden in the television show “The Honeymooners.”
Other buses on display include #3100, the first air-conditioned bus in the United States, #9098, a two-tone green bus with rear door safety exits, #100, which introduced the bubble-shaped windshield and parallelogram windows to city buses, and #5249, the last RTS bus to be ordered for New York City and the first to have wheelchair lifts, making it the first fully accessible bus fleet rolled out by a major public transit agency.
The family-friendly festival includes a scavenger hunt, transit-themed temporary tattoos, and a pop-up shop. Plus, those who RSVP here can win a family membership to the museum, which includes free admission, discounts on vintage train ride tickets, and eligibility to purchase tickets to tours of Old City Hall.
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