Rising crime in New York City has led to the formation of “busgirls,” women who ditch the subway and promote buses as a safer, cleaner, and more affordable alternative.
“I feel safer because I can always go outside if I feel sick,” Upper East Side content creator Tatiana Alvarez told the Post.
TikTok video she shared last week Encourage women to try riding the bus has received over 53,000 likes and revealed many fellow bus supporters.
“The bus is elite,” one commenter agreed.
“Bath girls club!!” Alvarez responded.
The bus trip adds 15 to 30 minutes, but Alvarez says it’s worth it.
She often chooses it over the subway after a late night out with friends.
She worries about having to wait until the next subway stop in case of an emergency, like the March 14th rush-hour Brooklyn subway shooting.
“It’s better for me if I can feel calm and safe on the way to anywhere. I don’t sit in fight or flight mode for 30 to 40 minutes,” said Alvarez, 26. .
“New York is very unpredictable and unfortunately, especially for women, you have to look over your shoulder every few minutes.”
Following a series of horrifying random attacks on women on New York City streets and a spike in high-profile subway crimes, many women are sharing safety tips and jumping on the bus.
Videos on social media show that buses are often empty, and data shows that subways are actually safer, with more than twice as many crimes per million rides as buses. It is shown.
“It’s difficult to stay safe when using public transportation,” Tierra Chess, 27, an influencer and content creator from Laurelton, Queens, told the Post.
chess stocks Tips for using public transport She works with her followers in New York and abroad.
It’s not just about crime, she said. Herald Square station was flooded when heavy rains hit the northeast last week.
“It was flooded and smelled bad, and all the homeless people at the station had to get on the train.”
And the numbers show that straphangers are fed up with the system, too.
Subway customer satisfaction fell from 58% in September to 52% in February, according to the MTA’s customer satisfaction survey.
Meanwhile, bus satisfaction rose from 59% in September to 61% in February.
And the Post’s analysis shows that buses are proving to be a safer alternative.
Data from September to February showed that passengers were more than 50% more likely to experience crimes such as assault, sexual offenses, disorderly conduct and harassment on the subway than on buses.
There were 392 crimes reported on the subway in February, for a crime rate of 4.3 crimes per million rides. He recorded 60 buses during the same period. That’s just under two cars per million rides for him. NYPD data show.
There were 183 serious violent crimes on the metro, compared to 144 in the first two months of 2019, according to the latest data.
However, preliminary data from the NYPD shows subway crime fell more than 23% in March compared to the same period a year ago due to increased patrols.
Bus data for March has not yet been released.
Additional reporting by Matthew Sedacca
