‘Bus girlies’ avoid spiraling underground NYC crime — and urge others to ditch subway

Deirdre Bardolf
·4 min read
Tierra Chess, seen at left in portrait, smiling into camera in front of Statue of Liberty; at right, Tatiana Alvarez smiling in posed photo, wearing black top and laughing; inset of MTA city bus at center
Tierra Chess, seen at left in portrait, smiling into camera in front of Statue of Liberty; at right, Tatiana Alvarez smiling in posed photo, wearing black top and laughing; inset of MTA city bus at center

Spiraling NYC crime has led to the formation of “bus girlies” — women who ditch the subways and tout the buses as a safer, cleaner and affordable alternative.

“I just feel safer because of the fact that, if I don’t feel comfortable, I can get out anytime,” Upper East Side content creator Tatiana Alvarez told The Post.

A TikTok video she shared last week urging women to try taking the bus got over 53,000 likes and revealed many fellow bus backers.

Content creator Tatiana Alvarez said she opts to take the bus over the subway when headed to Midtown or after a night out. TikTok @lifeby_tatiana
Content creator Tatiana Alvarez said she opts to take the bus over the subway when headed to Midtown or after a night out. TikTok @lifeby_tatiana

“Buses are elite,” agreed one commenter.

“Bus girl club!!!” Alvarez responded.

Even though the bus can tack on an extra 15 to 30 minutes of travel time, Alvarez says it’s worth it.

She’ll often choose it over the subway after a late night out with friends.

The idea of having to wait until the next subway stop to get off in the case of an emergency — like the Brooklyn subway shooting during rush hour on March 14 — gives her anxiety.

“If I can just feel calm and safe on the way to wherever I’m going, it’s better for me, and I’m not sitting in fight or flight mode for like 30 or 40 minutes,” Alvarez, 26, said.

“New York is so unpredictable and, especially for women unfortunately, you have to look over your shoulder every few minutes.”

Influencers are touting buses as a quieter, calmer alternative to subways. J.C. Rice
Influencers are touting buses as a quieter, calmer alternative to subways. J.C. Rice
A fight between two men on a Brooklyn subway in March led to gunfire on the crowded, rush hour car.
A fight between two men on a Brooklyn subway in March led to gunfire on the crowded, rush hour car.

Following a terrifying string of random attacks on women on NYC streets and a surge in high-profile subway crimes, many women are sharing personal safety tips and hopping aboard the bus train.

Videos on social media show buses are often empty, and data indicates they are indeed safer, with more than double the amount of crimes on the subway than on the bus for every million rides.

“It is hard to stay safe while taking public transportation,” Tierra Chess, 27, an influencer and content creator from Laurelton, Queens, told The Post.

Chess shares tips for taking public transportation in NYC and abroad with her followers.

Tierra Chess said she’ll sometimes opt for the bus over the subway — but ultimately prefers the LIRR. Courtesy of Tierra Chess
Tierra Chess said she’ll sometimes opt for the bus over the subway — but ultimately prefers the LIRR. Courtesy of Tierra Chess
Women in New York City have to constantly remain on guard and pay attention to their surroundings, Alvarez said. Courtesy of Tatiana Alvarez
Women in New York City have to constantly remain on guard and pay attention to their surroundings, Alvarez said. Courtesy of Tatiana Alvarez

It’s not just about crime, she said. Last week, when torrential downpours rocked the northeast, Herald Square station was inundated.

“It was flooded and stunk, and then all of the homeless people in the station had to get on the train, too.”

And the numbers show straphangers are fed up with the system, too.

Subway customer satisfaction dropped from 58% in September to 52% in February, according to MTA customer satisfaction surveys.

Bus satisfaction on the other hand increased from 59% in Sept. to 61% in February.

Many women have taken to social media to share their preference for the bus over the subway. TiKTok @ti3rratravels
Many women have taken to social media to share their preference for the bus over the subway. TiKTok @ti3rratravels

And the bus does prove to be a safer alternative, according to an analysis by The Post.

Data from September through February show riders had a more than 50% chance of encountering crimes including assault, sex offenses, disorderly conduct or harassment on the subway than on the bus.

In February, the subways had 392 crimes reported — a rate of 4.3 crimes per million rides. Buses saw 60 in that same span — a rate of just under 2 per million rides, NYPD data show.

As for serious violent subway crimes, there were 183 in the first two months of the year, according to the most recent data, compared to 144 in the first two months of 2019.

NYPD officials attributed the March transit crime decline to the 1,000 additional officers that have flooded the system daily since February. Michael Nagle
NYPD officials attributed the March transit crime decline to the 1,000 additional officers that have flooded the system daily since February. Michael Nagle
Overall transit crime between January through March was only down 1% when compared to the first quarter of 2023, according to the NYPD stats. J.C. Rice
Overall transit crime between January through March was only down 1% when compared to the first quarter of 2023, according to the NYPD stats. J.C. Rice

But subway crime was down just over 23% in March compared to the same time last year amid an increase in patrols, preliminary data from the NYPD show.

Bus data for March has not yet been released.

Additional reporting by Matthew Sedacca