Spiraling NYC crime has led to the formation of “bus girlies” — women who ditch the subways and tout the buses as a safer, cleaner and affordable alternative.
“I just feel safer because of the fact that, if I don’t feel comfortable, I can get out anytime,” Upper East Side content creator Tatiana Alvarez told The Post.
A TikTok video she shared last week urging women to try taking the bus got over 53,000 likes and revealed many fellow bus backers.
“Buses are elite,” agreed one commenter.
“Bus girl club!!!” Alvarez responded.
Even though the bus can tack on an extra 15 to 30 minutes of travel time, Alvarez says it’s worth it.
She’ll often choose it over the subway after a late night out with friends.
The idea of having to wait until the next subway stop to get off in the case of an emergency — like the Brooklyn subway shooting during rush hour on March 14 — gives her anxiety.
“If I can just feel calm and safe on the way to wherever I’m going, it’s better for me, and I’m not sitting in fight or flight mode for like 30 or 40 minutes,” Alvarez, 26, said.
“New York is so unpredictable and, especially for women unfortunately, you have to look over your shoulder every few minutes.”
Following a terrifying string of random attacks on women on NYC streets and a surge in high-profile subway crimes, many women are sharing personal safety tips and hopping aboard the bus train.
Videos on social media show buses are often empty, and data indicates they are indeed safer, with more than double the amount of crimes on the subway than on the bus for every million rides.
“It is hard to stay safe while taking public transportation,” Tierra Chess, 27, an influencer and content creator from Laurelton, Queens, told The Post.
Chess shares tips for taking public transportation in NYC and abroad with her followers.
It’s not just about crime, she said. Last week, when torrential downpours rocked the northeast, Herald Square station was inundated.
“It was flooded and stunk, and then all of the homeless people in the station had to get on the train, too.”
And the numbers show straphangers are fed up with the system, too.
Subway customer satisfaction dropped from 58% in September to 52% in February, according to MTA customer satisfaction surveys.
Bus satisfaction on the other hand increased from 59% in Sept. to 61% in February.
And the bus does prove to be a safer alternative, according to an analysis by The Post.
Data from September through February show riders had a more than 50% chance of encountering crimes including assault, sex offenses, disorderly conduct or harassment on the subway than on the bus.
In February, the subways had 392 crimes reported — a rate of 4.3 crimes per million rides. Buses saw 60 in that same span — a rate of just under 2 per million rides, NYPD data show.
As for serious violent subway crimes, there were 183 in the first two months of the year, according to the most recent data, compared to 144 in the first two months of 2019.
But subway crime was down just over 23% in March compared to the same time last year amid an increase in patrols, preliminary data from the NYPD show.
Bus data for March has not yet been released.
Additional reporting by Matthew Sedacca
