X38 Bus: Riders, Speed & Reliability
Sea Gate / Bensonhurst - Midtown Manhattan Express · Express · 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 X38?
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 X38 carries about 528 riders a day (October 2025 – September 2026), #275 of 339 NYC bus routes. On weekdays it is busiest around 7 AM, with about 193 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 |
|---|---|
| 86 St/7 Av | 76 |
| 5 Av/W 41 St | 56 |
| 86 St/14 Av | 53 |
| 5 Av/W 44 St | 45 |
| 5 Av/W 35 St | 44 |
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 12.8 mph on weekdays, down from 13.2 mph the year before. 68.1% of its trips kept to their scheduled spacing (the MTA's "wait assessment"; local routes overall: 72.1%), and 97.1% of scheduled buses actually ran.
| X38 | All local and SBS routes | |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekday speed | 12.8 mph | 7.5 mph |
| Trips that kept their scheduled spacing | 68.1% | 72.1% |
| Scheduled buses that actually ran | 97.1% | 94% |
| Extra time at stops vs schedule | 3.1 min | – |
| Extra time on board vs schedule | -2.3 min | – |
| Bus-lane camera violations (12 months) | – | 2,864,642 |
Other Express routes
Questions
How many people ride the X38 bus?
The X38 carries about 528 riders a day (October 2025 – September 2026), #275 of 339 NYC bus routes.
When is the X38 busiest?
On weekdays it is busiest around 7 AM, with about 193 riders that hour.
How fast is the X38 bus?
It averages 12.8 mph on weekdays, down from 13.2 mph the year before.
Is the X38 bus reliable?
68.1% of its trips kept to their scheduled spacing (the MTA's "wait assessment"; local routes overall: 72.1%), and 97.1% of scheduled buses actually ran.
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).