List of bus routes in Manhattan

Several companies, most prominently the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, operate a number of bus routes in Manhattan, New York, United States. Many of them are the direct descendants of streetcar lines.

Companies

Presently, the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority operate most local buses in Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation operates the Roosevelt Island Red Bus Service.
The first bus company in Manhattan was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which began operating the Fifth Avenue Line in 1886. When New York Railways began abandoning several streetcar lines in 1919, the replacement bus routes were picked up by the New York City Department of Plant and Structures. The DP&S began operating several other buses in 1921. All of these but the M21 were acquired by Green Bus Lines in 1933; Green transferred several of these to the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation in 1935.
The New York City Omnibus Corporation began operating replacement routes for New York Railways lines abandoned in 1936, and acquired the remaining Green routes. They also acquired the Madison Avenue Coach Company, Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation, and in 1942 the Triangle Bus Corporation.
In 1936, the NYCO and Fifth Avenue were placed under common ownership. The two were merged directly by 1956, when the NYCO acquired the Surface Transportation Corporation, and changed its name to Fifth Avenue Coach Lines. After a strike, the entire Fifth Avenue system was transferred to the newly formed Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority on March 22, 1962.
In 1933, two related companies began to operate routes: the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation gained several Green Bus Lines routes, and the East Side Omnibus Corporation started operating former Second Avenue Railroad routes. The Comprehensive also started the current M66 route that year, and in 1948 the New York City Board of Transportation acquired the Comprehensive and East Side routes, transferred to the New York City Transit Authority in 1953. The M9 route came from the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company in 1980, which had begun operating replacement routes for the Dry Dock, East Broadway and Battery Railroad lines in 1932.

Routes

This table gives details for the routes prefixed with "M"—in other words, those considered to run primarily in Manhattan by the MTA. For details on routes with other prefixes, see the following articles:

List of bus routes in the Bronx:
List of bus routes in Brooklyn:
List of bus routes in Queens:
List of express bus routes in New York City: all routes
List of bus routes in Westchester County:

Connections to New York City Subway stations at the bus routes' terminals are also listed where applicable.

New York City Bus

Most bus routes do not operate overnight, usually defined as midnight to 5:00 AM. Routes that do provide overnight service are noted below with an asterisk.
The Manhattan bus routes should not be confused with Megabus routes originating from Manhattan. Like the Manhattan bus routes, Megabus route designations consist of the letter "M" followed by a number.
All routes in operate local service; additional limited-stop or Select Bus Service routes are noted below.

M1 to M23

M31 to M79

M86 to M125

Subway shuttle routes

The following table lists the scheduled NYC Bus routes that temporarily replace portions of service on the New York City Subway due to system maintenance.

New York Waterway

operates shuttle bus routes to/from its West Midtown Ferry Terminal, located at 38th Street and Twelfth Avenue. Service is free.
;Peak service

Terminal	Streets traveled
Midtown Third Avenue and 57th Street	57th Street
Midtown Lexington Avenue and 50th Street	50th Street, 49th Street
Midtown Third Avenue and 42nd Street	42nd Street
Murray Hill Third Avenue and 34th Street	34th Street
Downtown Loop	AM: 23rd Street, Broadway, Houston Street, West Street PM: West Street, Clarkson Street, Sixth Avenue, 23rd Street

;Off-peak service
All routes operate as clockwise loops.

Streets traveled	Notes
50th Street, Tenth Avenue, 65th Street, Broadway, 42nd Street	No Sunday service
44th Street, Eighth Avenue, 57th Street, Fifth Avenue, 49th Street
50th Street, Sixth Avenue, 57th Street, Eighth Avenue, 49th Street	Weekday midday service only
42nd Street, Fifth Avenue, 34th Street
23rd Street, Varick Street, West Broadway, Murray Street, West Street

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation

Downtown Connection

In Lower Manhattan a free shuttle, sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District, operates minibuses daily from 10:00 AM until 7:30 PM.

History of the current Manhattan bus routes

Routes M1 to M23

Routes M31 to M79

Routes M86 to M125

Route	History
M86	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus replaced New York Railways' 86th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on June 8, 1936. The M18 was renumbered the M86 on September 10, 1989, to identify the street the bus on which it operates. Select Bus Service on the route began on July 13, 2015.
M96	New York City Department of Plant and Structures began operating bus on July 1, 1921. Operated by Green Bus Lines from 1933 to 1936, then taken over by New York City Omnibus Corporation on June 22, 1936. Route M19 became M96 c. May 1993.
M98	New Limited-Stop Service running between 32nd Street and Washington Heights introduced on September 14, 1987, as a rush hour only service. Service south of 68th Street to Grand Central was discontinued on June 27, 2010, due to a budget crisis.
M100	Surface Transportation Corporation bus replaced Third Avenue Railway's Broadway-Kingsbridge Line streetcar on June 22, 1947. Original northern terminus was at Riverdale-Broadway/West 230th Street. Service was extended to 239th Street and Riverdale Avenue on February 14, 1965, to replace the former Bx10A service. The extension of the M100 ran via 231st Street, Irwin Avenue, Johnson Avenue, Kappock Street, the Henry Hudson Parkway service road, 239th Street, and Riverdale Avenue. Service was further extended to Riverdale Avenue-West 262nd Street in July 1974. On February 19, 1984, weekday service terminated at Henry Hudson Parkway-West 246th Street, while all weeknight late evening and all weekend service continued to Riverdale Avenue-West 262nd Street. On March 5, 1989, the M100 saw further reductions in service, as the Bronx portion was split into the Bx20, but was not extended to Riverdale-West 262nd Street. These service cuts took place in order to address unreliable service. Service initially terminated at West 207th Street-Tenth Avenue. Service was extended from Inwood-207th Street to 220th Street-Broadway to serve the Allen Hospital, a satellite facility of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on September 7, 1997. Also on this date, service was extended on the route's south end from Third Avenue to Second Avenue. In September 2013, the route was extended to First Avenue and 125th Street to provide additional service on 125th Street. Inwood section rerouted from Broadway to Dyckman Street and Tenth Avenue on June 29, 2014. In June 2022, service east of St. Nicholas Avenue and 125th Street was discontinued as part of a redesign of the Bronx bus system.
M101	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus replaced New York Railways' Lexington Avenue Line streetcar on March 25, 1936. Surface Transportation Corporation bus replaced Third Avenue Railway's Third and Amsterdam Avenues Line streetcar on May 18, 1947. These two routes were combined as a one-way pair on July 17, 1960, and kept the route number M101. Limited-stop service began on October 14, 1991, with alternate buses running limited between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The portion of the route south of Cooper Union was split off into route M103 on September 10, 1995. In June 2024, the M101 terminal was moved to Fort George Hill one block from Saint Nicholas Avenue at West 192nd Street.
M102	Route M101A was started on March 2, 1969. Renumbered the M102 on July 1, 1974. The portion of the route south of Cooper Union split off into M103 on September 10, 1995.
M103	Former southern portion of routes M101 and M102 split off into new route on September 10, 1995.
M104	Surface Transportation Corporation bus replaced Third Avenue Railway's Broadway Line streetcar on December 15, 1946. On March 10, 1957, northbound service was rerouted via Eighth Avenue between 42nd Street and Columbus Circle due to the conversion of Broadway between Columbus Circle and Herald Square to one-way southbound, the conversion of Seventh Avenue from Central Park South to Times Square to one-way southbound, and the conversion of Sixth Avenue to one-way northbound between Central Park South and Herald Square. Starting on March 22, 1976, every third bus ran up Sixth Avenue between 7:50 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. Service along 42nd Street connecting with the M42 to 1st Avenue/United Nations was discontinued June 27, 2010, due to budget crisis.
M106	Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority began operating bus on September 10, 1962, as the M107 on a six-month trial basis. Bus service ran every 15 minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and 30 minutes during these hours on Sundays and holidays. Originally ran from 106th Street and the FDR Drive to 110th Street and Riverside Drive. In Fiscal Year 1963, this route was extended at the request of residents along the route. Its western terminus was cut back to 106th Street and Fifth Avenue on May 24, 1964. Became a branch of the M19 on January 7, 1974. The main branch of the M19 became the M96 in May 1993, and the 106th Street branch of the M19 became the M106 in 1996 when it was rerouted to use Madison and Fifth Avenues instead of Lexington and Third Avenues.
M116	New York City Omnibus Corporation bus replaced New York Railways' 116th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936. Route M20 became M116 c. 1993. The M116 was included in the "Fare Free" pilot program and no fares were collected on this route starting late September 2023 until August 2024.
M125	New bus route created in June 2022 as part of a redesign of the Bronx bus system. Formerly part of the Bx15 route. On September 19, 2022, the first southbound stop on the route was moved from the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Westchester Avenue to the intersection of Third Avenue and East 150th Street. Originally, after the first stop, buses turned right on Westchester Avenue, right on Brook Avenue, right on East 145th Street, left on Willis Avenue due to construction. After construction was cleared, buses turned left on Westchester Avenue, left on Third Avenue, left on East 146th Street, right on Willis Avenue.