The MTA announced Thursday that its pilot program to allow open strollers on city buses will significantly expand as it enters its second phase, officials said.

Local and select service buses on 57 routes across the city will be retrofitted with designated stroller spaces.

“This expansion is a win for bus customers. The Open Stroller Program has demonstrated that we can make buses more accessible to all customers while providing faster, cleaner, and safer service,” New York City Transit president Richard Davey said in a news release.

What You Need To Know

  • The MTA’s “Open Stroller Program” will expand to 57 bus routes by the fall

  • The agency is currently retrofitting all local and select service buses on routes across the five boroughs

  • The program began in September and has been widely successful, according to the MTA

  • Over 4,000 stroller trips have been recorded since the start of the pilot

Last September, the MTA launched its “Open Stroller” program to create space on some city buses to fit an open stroller. In January, the program expanded to include 1,000 buses across the five boroughs.

Stroller space on city buses is created by flipping up two side-by-side seats in an area that is separate from existing priority bus seating and wheelchair accessibility.

The MTA said it hopes to have all 57 routes outfitted with stroller space by fall 2023.

The bus routes that will feature an open stroller space include:

• Brooklyn: B1, B3, B6/6 LTD, B36, B64, B74

• Bronx: Bx6, Bx6 SBS, Bx8, Bx11, Bx17, Bx19, Bx21, Bx23, Bx27, Bx31, Bx32, Bx33, Bx35, Bx36/36LTD, Bx46

• Manhattan: M15, M31, M101, M102, M103, M125

• Queens: Q12, Q13, Q15, Q15A, Q16, Q20A, Q20B, Q26, Q28, Q31, Q32, Q44 SBS, Q48, Q50LTD, Q76

• Staten Island: S40, S42, S46, S48, S51, S52, S53, S66, S76, S81 LTD, S86 LTD, S90 LTD, S93 LTD, S96 LTD, S98 LTD

The agency said it had asked bus operators on routes participating in the open stroller pilot to record stroller usage, and found that more than 4,000 strollers have so far been brought aboard. The MTA noted there have been no reported safety incidents or conflicts.

Parents and caretakers will be able to identify if a bus is equipped with stroller space by locating a stroller decal on the outside of the bus. Once inside the bus, the space is also identified with a similar decal, the agency said.

Bus routes that are not taking part in the pilot will maintain the current stroller policy, where only closed strollers are allowed inside the bus.