Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit
Encyclopedia
The Fifth Avenue Coach Company was a bus operator in Manhattan
, The Bronx
, and Westchester County, New York
, providing public transit between 1896 and 1954 after which services were taken over by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
. It succeeded the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company
.
The company was founded in 1896 when it succeeded the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Transportation Company
.
It initially operated existing horse-and-omnibus transit along Fifth Avenue
, with a route running from 89th Street to Bleecker Street. Fifth Avenue is the only avenue in Manhattan never to see streetcar service due to the opposition of residents to the installation of railway track for streetcars
. The company introduced electric buses two years later are were acquired by the newly formed New York Transportation Company
a year after 1899.
They introduced a fleet of 15 of their own motorbus
es in 1907 that operated along Fifth Avenue and on some crosstown routes. The company became independent of the New York Transportation Company in 1912.
In 1925, the year that they came under control of The Omnibus Corporation
, the company purchased a majority share in the New York Railways Corporation
.
When the New York Railways Corporation started converting streetcar lines to buses in 1935–36, the new replacement bus services were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
, which had been formed in 1926 and had shared management with The Omnibus Corporation. New York Railways Corporation was dissolved in 1936.
In 1954 The Omnibus Corporation sold the Fifth Avenue Coach Company to the New York City Omnibus Corporation which changed its name to 'Fifth Avenue Coach Lines' two years later. After a strike in 1962, and a fight for control with financier Harry Weinberg, bus operations were taken over by the city.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, and Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, providing public transit between 1896 and 1954 after which services were taken over by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
New York City Omnibus Corporation
The New York City Omnibus Corporation was formed in 1926. It ran new bus services that replaced the New York Railways Corporation streetcars when they were dismantled in 1935/36. It purchased the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from The Omnibus Corporation in 1954 and renamed itself the 'Fifth Avenue...
. It succeeded the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company
Fifth Avenue Transportation Company
The Fifth Avenue Transportation Company was a transportation company based in New York which was founded in 1885 and operated of horse-and-omninbus transit along Fifth Avenue, with a route running from 89th Street to Bleecker Street using horse-drawn omnibuses...
.
History
Fifth Avenue Transportation Company
The Fifth Avenue Transportation Company was a transportation company based in New York which was founded in 1885 and operated of horse-and-omninbus transit along Fifth Avenue, with a route running from 89th Street to Bleecker Street using horse-drawn omnibuses...
.
It initially operated existing horse-and-omnibus transit along Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
, with a route running from 89th Street to Bleecker Street. Fifth Avenue is the only avenue in Manhattan never to see streetcar service due to the opposition of residents to the installation of railway track for streetcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
. The company introduced electric buses two years later are were acquired by the newly formed New York Transportation Company
New York Transportation Company
The New York Transportation Company was a company incorporated in New Jersey in 1899 as the 'New York Electrical Vehicle Transportation Company' which changed its name to the 'New York Transportation Company' in 1902 and was wound up in 1936...
a year after 1899.
They introduced a fleet of 15 of their own motorbus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es in 1907 that operated along Fifth Avenue and on some crosstown routes. The company became independent of the New York Transportation Company in 1912.
In 1925, the year that they came under control of The Omnibus Corporation
The Omnibus Corporation
The Omnibus Corporation was formed in 1925 and acquired control of Fifth Avenue Coach Company and the Chicago Motor Coach Company with John D. Hertz as chairman. In 1953 it purchased Yellow Drive-It-Yourself from General Motors and sold its interests in public transport...
, the company purchased a majority share in the New York Railways Corporation
New York Railways Corporation
The New York Railways Corporation was a railway company that operated street railways in Manhattan, New York City, United States between 1925 and 1936. During 1935/1936 it converted its remaining lines to bus routes which were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation, and now operated by...
.
When the New York Railways Corporation started converting streetcar lines to buses in 1935–36, the new replacement bus services were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
New York City Omnibus Corporation
The New York City Omnibus Corporation was formed in 1926. It ran new bus services that replaced the New York Railways Corporation streetcars when they were dismantled in 1935/36. It purchased the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from The Omnibus Corporation in 1954 and renamed itself the 'Fifth Avenue...
, which had been formed in 1926 and had shared management with The Omnibus Corporation. New York Railways Corporation was dissolved in 1936.
In 1954 The Omnibus Corporation sold the Fifth Avenue Coach Company to the New York City Omnibus Corporation which changed its name to 'Fifth Avenue Coach Lines' two years later. After a strike in 1962, and a fight for control with financier Harry Weinberg, bus operations were taken over by the city.
Routes
The routes that were operated by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company are listed below.| Route | Terminal A | Major streets of travel | Terminal B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Square Park | Fifth Avenue | Harlem Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands... 5 Avenue/138 Street |
| 2 | Madison Square Madison Square Madison Square is formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States and the principal author of the United States Constitution.The focus of the square is... |
Fifth Avenue Seventh Avenue (today's Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard) Edgecombe Avenue |
Washington Heights Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the... Broadway/167 Street |
| 3 | Washington Square Park | Fifth Avenue St. Nicholas Avenue or Convent Avenue (within Hamilton Heights) St. Nicholas Avenue (within Washington Heights) |
Washington Heights St. Nicholas Avenue/193 Street |
| 4 | New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... |
Fifth Avenue Central Park North/Cathedral Parkway Riverside Drive Broadway Fort Washington Avenue |
The Cloisters The Cloisters The Cloisters is a museum located in Fort Tryon Park, New York City. The building, which is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was reconstructed in the 1930s from the architectural elements of several European medieval abbeys... |
| 5/19 | Washington Square Park | Fifth Avenue West 57 Street Broadway Riverside Drive (through the Upper West Side Upper West Side The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street... ) Broadway (5 through Hamilton Heights) Riverside Drive (19 through Hamilton Heights) |
Washington Heights Broadway/167 Street |
| 6 | Upper West Side West 72 Street Central Park West |
Broadway West 57 Street Fifth Avenue East 72 Street |
Yorkville Yorkville, Manhattan Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of... East 72 Street/York Avenue |
| 9 | Washington Square Park | Fifth Avenue West 57 Street Broadway |
Upper West Side West 72 Street Central Park West |
| 15 | Madison Square | Fifth Avenue Queensboro Bridge Queensboro Bridge The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909... Queens Boulevard Roosevelt Avenue |
or
|
| 16 | Jackson Heights Northern Boulevard/81 Street |
81/82 Streets Baxter Avenue Broadway |
Elmhurst Elmhurst, Queens Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth... Broadway and Queens Boulevard |
| 20 | Clinton Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River.... 12 Avenue/West 55 Street |
57 Street Crosstown | Sutton Place Sutton Place, Manhattan Sutton Place is the name given to one of the most affluent streets in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States, situated on the border between the Midtown and Upper East Side neighborhoods... Sutton Place and East 59 Street |
See also
- Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating AuthorityManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating AuthorityThe Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority is a subsidiary of the New York City Transit Authority that was created in 1962 to take over bus services from the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, Inc...
, successor to FACCST within New York City - Liberty Lines Transit, Inc.Liberty Lines Transit, Inc.Liberty Lines Transit, Inc. is a contract operator of the Bee-Line Bus System of Westchester County, New York and a former operator of contract service to the New York City Department of Transportation. The company's headquarters are located in Yonkers, New York...
, successor to the FACCST routes in Westchester County