September 24, 2008
Free Brooklyn transit update: new red bus, Ikea cuts
There are two new things of note for people hoping to get to, or around Brooklyn; one’s about changes in service for the Ikea’s free Water Taxi service, and the other’s a geographic expansion of the red tourism bus.
First, Ikea.
Since the home furnishings retailer opened a 346,000-square-foot store (and built a 6.5-acre waterfront park) in Red Hook in June, it has been providing free ferry service between Pier 11 to Wall Street daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The good news is that the service will remain free, but as of October 1, the hours will cut back to 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays with one boat providing service every 40 minutes. Weekend service will remain 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but will only get the two-boat service (meaning pickups every 20 minutes) during 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“With the store now open for three months, we have a strong sense of the shopping and transit pattern, and have adapted the water taxi and shuttle bus schedules accordingly,” Mike Baker, IKEA Brooklyn store manager said in a statement today.
In addition, the free shuttle buses from the store three nearby subway stops will cut back their runs to every half-hour from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend service will remain unchanged: every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
 Separately, the Heart of Brooklyn has a new red bus in a pilot program, testing out routes that will take people - for free — to some of the boroughs top tourism sites, as well as Williamsburg, Red Hook and Bay Ridge.
On Sundays, The Museum Mile to Brooklyn Style shuttle will pick up passengers from the Met Museum in Manhattan (at 82nd Street) at 10 a.m., 1 and 3:45 p.m. and make stops at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo.
Service to Williamsburg, Red Hook and Bay Ridge will rotate on different Saturdays. Bay Ridge Stops are Century 21 Store on 86th St. at 472 86th St.; the Bay Ridge Library, Corner of Ridge Blvd & 73rd St.; 4th Ave at Bayridge Ave and 4th Ave at 51st St.
Williamsburg stops are Bedford Ave at South 3rd St.; Bedford Ave at North 7th St.; McCarren Park - Corner of Bedford & Lorimer St.; and Lorimer St. at Metropolitan Ave.
Red Hook stops are at the NY Water Taxi entrance on Beard St.; Van Brunt St. between Dikeman & Wolcott St; Union St. at Court St. and Columbia St. at Carroll St.
For the most up-to-date information, red-bus riders should call (718) 638-7700, or email aatticks@heartofbrooklyn.org as the routes, times and locations are up for change.
Picture credit: Water Taxi by Amy Langfield/NewYorkology; and Heart of Brooklyn red bus logo.
Earlier: Red Hook ‘08 guide, the Here-Comes-Ikea edition
September 24, 2008 11:59 AM in Cheap Stuff, Out of Manhattan, Transportology, Upper East Side
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