B15 (New York City bus)
| Company type | Public transit bus route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Sumner Avenue Line, New Lots Avenue Line (streetcar routes) |
| Founded | 1947 (bus service consolidation) |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York City , United States |
Area served | Brooklyn and Queens, New York City |
| Products | Bus transportation service |
| Owner | MTA New York City Bus |
| Website | new |
The Sumner Avenue Line together with the New Lots Avenue Line were originally streetcar routes operating in Brooklyn, New York City. These lines primarily followed Marcus Garvey Boulevard (previously known as Sumner Avenue), East 98th Street, and New Lots Avenue, connecting the northern Bedford–Stuyvesant area to New Lots. In 1947, these streetcar services were consolidated into a single bus route. This route has since evolved into today's B15 Marcus Garvey Boulevard / New Lots Avenue bus service, managed by MTA New York City Bus from the East New York Depot located in East New York. The B15 route extends eastward beyond New Lots, reaching John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens.
Route description
The B15 bus travels between the Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center and the Flushing Avenue subway station situated in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, continuing onward to Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens. During peak hours and weekends, some buses operate short trips terminating at Drew Street/Elderts Lane on Linden Boulevard in Spring Creek, near the border with Queens.
The route heads south through Bedford–Stuyvesant via Marcus Garvey Boulevard when traveling southbound and Lewis Avenue for northbound trips. After crossing Fulton Street, it proceeds through Crown Heights and Ocean Hill neighborhoods, then turns south along Ralph Avenue before heading southeast on East 98th Street. In Brownsville and East New York, the bus moves eastward along Hegeman Avenue and New Lots Avenue, then turns south onto Linden Boulevard before transitioning onto Conduit Avenue upon entering Queens. The B15 buses conclude their routes at the Lefferts Boulevard station of AirTrain JFK within JFK Airport.
From the 1990s until September 2013, the short-turn Spring Creek terminal functioned as a distinct branch that served the Brooklyn General Mail Facility via a turnaround loop located south of Linden Boulevard. During midday and overnight periods, the JFK and Postal Facility branches were merged into one service. The loop is still utilized by terminating B14 and B20 buses, while the B13 provides through service connecting Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick or Gateway Center in southern Spring Creek.
Originally named after abolitionist Charles Sumner, Sumner Avenue was renamed Marcus Garvey Avenue in 1987 and later became Marcus Garvey Boulevard to honor the Pan-Africanism leader Marcus Garvey.
Sumner Avenue Line
The Yates Avenue and Flatbush Railroad was founded in 1881 with the purpose of constructing a branch off the Broadway Railroad. This line extended from Broadway and Yates Avenue (currently Marcus Garvey Boulevard) in Bedford–Stuyvesant heading south to Fulton Street, then turned east along Fulton Street over the Brooklyn City Rail Road's Fulton Street Line reaching Troy Avenue before continuing south to Bergen Street. The Broadway Railroad took over operation of this line under lease on December 31, 1881. By early 1894, the Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad, owned by the Long Island Traction Company (which later became part of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company or BRT), leased the Broadway Railroad and completed electrification of this line by late October of that year. The BRT transitioned into the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) in 1923.
20th century
Beginning in the 1920s, numerous streetcar routes in Brooklyn were gradually replaced by bus services, a process that accelerated following the consolidation of the city's major transit operators under municipal management in June 1940. The New Lots Avenue Line switched to bus operation by mid-1941, originating from the Canarsie Depot and traveling along Hegeman Avenue and Linden Boulevard to Atkins Avenue/Berriman Street in East New York, designated as route B10. On July 8, 1947, the B10 was extended to cover the discontinued Sumner Avenue trolley line, which was completely phased out by 1949.
When Sumner Avenue was converted to a southbound one-way street on September 29, 1963, northbound B10 buses were rerouted via Lewis Avenue. By this time, the B10 route had stretched eastward along Linden Boulevard to Drew Street/Elderts Lane near the boundary between Brooklyn and Queens. This extension, proposed around 1960, aimed to serve public housing developments in New Lots. Additionally, after the Brooklyn General Mail Facility opened in Spring Creek in 1991, the route was adjusted to provide service there.
In 1993, the line was extended to its present endpoint at JFK Airport Terminal 4 in Jamaica, Queens, and was rebranded as B15 to distinguish it from the existing Q10 airport service operated by Green Bus Lines (now incorporated into MTA Bus Company).
21st century
Starting April 11, 2004, the B15 began operating around the clock between Brooklyn and JFK Airport. This change eliminated direct service to all terminals except Terminal 4 but introduced a free transfer to the AirTrain JFK. On October 12, 2009, a pilot initiative equipped ten B15 buses with luggage racks to facilitate smoother passenger movement on airport routes. Due to construction at Terminal 4, on May 30, 2012, the B15's terminus was shifted to Terminal 5 near the former Terminal 6 location. Service to the Brooklyn General Mail Facility loop was discontinued on September 8, 2013, because of low passenger demand.
In February 2022, the MTA announced plans to shorten the B15’s JFK branch effective March 27, truncating it at the AirTrain JFK Lefferts Boulevard station due to extensive airport construction expected to continue through at least 2026. The portion no longer served by the B15 would instead be covered by an extended Q3 route.
On December 1, 2022, a draft proposal for redesigning Brooklyn’s bus network was released by the MTA. Under this plan, the eastern endpoint of the B15 would be cut back to terminate at the Brooklyn General Mail Facility, while its western end would be extended to Montrose Avenue station in East Williamsburg. Northbound trips through Bedford-Stuyvesant would be rerouted along Kingston and Throop Avenues with closely spaced stops eliminated. The B15 branch serving JFK Airport and the B35 Limited would be replaced by a new Select Bus Service line designated B55, running from Kensington to JFK Airport via Church Avenue, New Lots Avenue, Linden Boulevard, and North and South Conduit Avenues.