Bx36 (New York City bus)

The **Bx36** is a public transit line in the Bronx, New York running between Washington Heights in Manhattan and Soundview in the Bronx, primarily on Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road.

The Bx36 was originally a streetcar route called the 180th Street Crosstown Line, which was replaced with buses in 1947. Rush-hour Limited-Stop service began on September 8, 2009. The Bx36 was expected to be rerouted on Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road rather than 180th Street, Boston Road, and 174th Street, but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. This split is now set to take effect on June 26, 2022.

## Route description

The Bx36 begins at George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and uses West 179th Street, Fort Washington Avenue, and West 178th Street to access Wadsworth Avenue, while buses accessing the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal use West 179th Street. It then continues on Wadsworth Avenue until it turns to West 181st Street, and continues until it turns to University Avenue, and then Tremont Avenue. It then continues along Tremont Avenue until White Plains Road. It turns than continues south on White Plains Road until it turns to Lafayette Avenue and then Pugsley Avenue, and uses Seward Avenue and Olmstead Avenue to access the Soundview terminus, while buses heading westbound use Randall Avenue to access Pugsley Avenue. Select local trips originate/terminate at Boston Road and East Tremont Avenue.

The Bx36 also employs limited-stop service, which runs during weekday rush hours only, and makes all local stops east of Story Avenue and White Plains Road and west of 174th Street and University Avenue.

## History

Buses replaced 180th Street Crosstown Line streetcars on October 25, 1947. The original south-eastern terminus was at Bruckner Boulevard-Zerega Avenue via Cross Bronx Expressway, running all times except nights until February 1984.

On February 14, 1965, every other bus on the route was extended one mile to run to Pugsley Avenue and Story Avenue, instead of to the previous terminal of Chatterton Avenue and Zerega Avenue. These buses would turn off the regular route at Westchester Avenue and White Plains Road. These buses would run via White Plains Road, Houghton Avenue, and Pugsley Avenue to the terminal, and via Story Avenue and White Plains Road before turning back onto Westchester Avenue for the trip back to Manhattan.

Full-time south-eastern terminus to White Plains Road-Story Avenue was first instituted in November 1967, and service was later extended to Soundview-Pugsley Avenue in July 1974.

Soundview-bound and Bruckner Boulevard-bound services started running at East 174th Street in both directions via Boston Road. The Q44 later replaced the former Bx36 route via Cross Bronx Expressway.

On September 13, 1987, the Bx36 was extended from 181st Street and Broadway to the outside of the George Washington Bridge Bus Station at 179th Street and Broadway.

On January 18, 1998, buses started turning south on Wadsworth Avenue instead of Broadway.

Westbound trips ran via Hugh Grant Circle (at Parkchester on the IRT Pelham Line) until September 2000.

Rush-hour Limited-Stop service began on September 8, 2009.

As part of the MTA's 2017 Fast Forward Plan to speed up mass transit service, a draft plan for a reorganization of Bronx bus routes was proposed in draft format in June 2019, with a final version published in October 2019. The plan included rerouting service on Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road rather than 180th Street, Boston Road, and 174th Street, with the rerouted Bx40/Bx42 covering 180th Street and the rerouted Bx11 covering 174th Street. Changes will apply to both local and limited-stop variants. This change was proposed to be implemented by mid-2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the changes were halted for over a year. In February 2022, it was announced that the modifications would take place on June 26, 2022.