Bx5 Bus: Riders, Speed & Reliability
Pelham Bay - Gladstone Sq · Local · Report card from MTA open data, October 2025 – September 2026 · Not affiliated with the MTA · Live bus times on MTA Bus Time →
How busy is the Bx5?
Average riders per hour on weekdays, Aug 26, 2026 – Oct 20, 2026. Riders are paid entries (OMNY taps and MetroCard swipes), so people who board without paying aren't counted; riders a day covers October 2025 – September 2026.
The Bx5 carries about 2,453 riders a day (October 2025 – September 2026), #156 of 339 NYC bus routes. On weekdays it is busiest around 7 AM, with about 327 riders that hour.
Busiest stops
MTA estimates for September 2026 from passenger counters on the buses, both directions. They count everyone who boards, so they can run higher than fare-based ridership.
| Stop | Boardings on an average weekday |
|---|---|
| Hunts Point Av/Southern Blvd | 1,909 |
| Southern Bl/Westchester Av | 1,794 |
| Story Av/Bolton Av | 862 |
| Story Av/Rosedale Av | 619 |
| Bruckner Bl/Wilkinson Av | 613 |
Speed and reliability
October 2025 – September 2026. Speed includes time at stops and lights. "Spacing" is the MTA's wait assessment: the gap between buses stays within a few minutes of schedule.
It averages 8.2 mph on weekdays, #100 fastest of 262 local and Select Bus routes, down from 8.3 mph the year before. 65.3% of its trips kept to their scheduled spacing (the MTA's "wait assessment"; local routes overall: 72.1%), and 85% of scheduled buses actually ran.
| Bx5 | All local and SBS routes | |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekday speed | 8.2 mph | 7.5 mph |
| Trips that kept their scheduled spacing | 65.3% | 72.1% |
| Scheduled buses that actually ran | 85% | 94% |
| Extra time at stops vs schedule | 3.3 min | – |
| Extra time on board vs schedule | 1.7 min | – |
| Bus-lane camera violations (12 months) | 5,903 | 2,864,642 |
Bus cameras on the Bx5 issued about 5,903 violations to vehicles blocking its bus lanes or stops in the last 12 months.
Other Bronx routes
All routes Bx12-SBS Bx9 Bx19 Bx36 Bx7 Bx2 Bx1 Bx3 Bx6-SBS Bx10 Bx13 Bx6 Bx35 Bx11 Bx12 Bx39 Bx22 Bx41-SBS Bx21 Bx15 Bx28 Bx40 Bx42 Bx41 Bx31 Bx17 Bx16 Bx38 Bx8 Bx4 Bx23 Bx30 Bx32 Bx27 Bx4A Bx34 Bx26 Bx25 Bx33 Bx29 Bx18B Bx18A Bx24 Bx20 Bx46
Questions
How many people ride the Bx5 bus?
The Bx5 carries about 2,453 riders a day (October 2025 – September 2026), #156 of 339 NYC bus routes.
When is the Bx5 busiest?
On weekdays it is busiest around 7 AM, with about 327 riders that hour.
How fast is the Bx5 bus?
It averages 8.2 mph on weekdays, #100 fastest of 262 local and Select Bus routes, down from 8.3 mph the year before.
Is the Bx5 bus reliable?
65.3% of its trips kept to their scheduled spacing (the MTA's "wait assessment"; local routes overall: 72.1%), and 85% of scheduled buses actually ran.
How many bus-lane tickets are issued on the Bx5?
Bus cameras on the Bx5 issued about 5,903 violations to vehicles blocking its bus lanes or stops in the last 12 months.
More NYC transit data
- NYC subway ridership: Busiest stations, find your station and an animated subway map, updated daily.
- NYC congestion pricing: Zone map, hours, cost and daily data on whether it's working.
- Every subway line ranked: Which line is the worst? On-time rates, delays and a report card for each line.
Let's talk about transit data
Found something surprising about your station? Have a question the data could answer, or an idea for what to dig into next (congestion pricing, a train line, an event)? I'd love to hear it, and I'm always up for talking about transit data.
Data (data.ny.gov): Bus Hourly Ridership, Bus Speeds, Wait Assessment, Service Delivered, Customer Journey Metrics, Stop Ridership Estimates, Camera Enforcement Violations. Updated Oct 28, 2026. The MTA's own charts: metrics.mta.info.
Source code: github.com/MantieReid/mta-data-analysis · Analysis by Mantie Reid II (CC BY 4.0).