BP Fossella and ATU Local 726 President Cassella Call Concern to Deteriorating MTA Express Bus Service, Canceled Trips, Necessary Improvements
Editor’s note: After the meeting, the following joint statement was released. The Borough President and union president will likely issue a follow up to Staten Island residents about their progress on this issue, so check back for updates. This meeting continues the thread of concerns that the Borough President raised at the beginning of the rollout of Congestion Pricing, when Staten Island was promised improved express and regular bus service after the change to mitigate some of the effects it was likely to have on local residents who rely on buses to get to work. Staten Islanders have some of the longest commute times to Manhattan among the five boroughs.
Joint Statement from Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella and New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow Following Meeting at Staten Island Borough Hall on July 17, 2025
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella and New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow together issued the following joint statement regarding their meeting at Borough Hall yesterday to address bus service:
“We are aware that there is an opportunity to improve both express and local bus service on Staten Island and appreciate the productive meeting we had, together with the local Amalgamated Transit Union, to discuss a path forward.
We are very pleased with the results of this discussion and commuters can rest assured that their concerns are being heard, with action being taken to improve overall service.”
Before the meeting, the Borough President released the following two summaries of the concerns:
BP Fossella and ATU Local 726 President Cassella to Call Concern to Deteriorating MTA Express Bus Service
Over 500 weekday express bus trips were cancelled throughout June, stranding thousands of commuters
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella will be joined by ATU Local 726 President Daniel Cassella and commuter advocates to call concern to the overwhelming number of recent express bus trips cancelled by the MTA. This will take place at a press conference at the Yukon Bus Depot on Monday, July 14th at 10:30 AM.
A driving justification for congestion pricing for the MTA, reportedly, was the ability to provide better, and more frequent, bus service. Despite the revenue raised by the program, and despite Staten Island being disproportionately affected, it seems that express bus service has, in fact, worsened in our borough.
Throughout the month of June, more than 500 weekday MTA express bus trips were cancelled, unduly disrupting the commutes and lives of thousands of Staten Islanders during some of the hottest days of the year. Express bus service on weekend routes, and general bus service, has also reportedly suffered in the past few months.
For the past several weeks, Borough President Fossella has called for a meeting with the MTA to discuss tangible solutions to the service issue, among other problems with the MTA bus system on Staten Island. Those calls have since gone unanswered.
Now, BP Fossella, ATU President Cassella and commuter advocates will issue a call for the MTA to address these critical cancellations.
BP Fossella, ATU Local 726 President Cassella, Local Business Owners to Call for MTA to Alleviate Elevated Congestion Around Bus Depots
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella will be joined by ATU Local 726 President Daniel Cassella and local business owners to issue a call for the MTA to remedy the recent surge in congestion surrounding their bus depots. This will take place at a press conference beside the Castleton Bus Depot, on the corner of Castleton Avenue and Rector Street, on Tuesday, April 29th, at 8:45 AM.
The press conference comes amid reports that traffic surrounding the Castleton Bus Depot, especially on Castleton Avenue, has increased significantly in the past few months.
Last year, the MTA announced that it would not renew the lease on the Meredith Avenue Bus Depot, which, prior to its closure, housed roughly 75 express buses serving nine routes. In response, Borough President Fossella and ATU President Cassella held a press conference in September to warn the MTA that closing the depot would result in greater congestion around the other depots, and poorer overall service.
In January, the Meredith depot officially closed, offloading all 75 of its buses to the Castleton, Yukon and Charleston depots. Now, Borough President Fossella’s concerns appear to be vindicated, as some business owners surrounding the Castleton depot and other neighbors have raised concerns that the increased congestion from buses deploying from, and parking within, the depot is creating significant congestion, limiting parking and impeding access to businesses.
Additionally, the elevated bus traffic has reportedly reduced the ability of Richmond County Ambulance, which operates from across Castleton Ave, to respond to calls around the borough.
The Borough President, the ATU President, and some business owners will call for the MTA to take action to alleviate this unwelcome, disruptive and self-inflicted congestion.
Banner Image: Meeting between BP Fossella and MTA union leadership at the bus depot on Staten Island. Image Credit – BP Fossella
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.