Bus cameras now watching the B1, B6 and Q65: warnings by mail now, fines up to $250 in December

Drivers who park in bus lanes, sit in bus stops or double-park along three busy Brooklyn and Queens routes are now on camera.

The MTA's Automated Camera Enforcement program, known as ACE, started a 60-day warning period on Monday, Oct. 12, on the B1 and B6 in Brooklyn and the Q65 in Queens, the agency announced. During the warning period, violators get notices in the mail instead of fines. Fine-bearing summonses begin once it ends, which works out to mid-December.

Where the cameras are

• B1: 86th Street and Ocean Parkway.
• B6: Bay Parkway, Avenue J and Flatlands Avenue.
• Q65: Sanford Avenue and 164th Street.

Together the three routes carry about 80,400 riders on an average weekday, according to the MTA's announcement, which was published by the Canarsie Courier and reported by Patch. The MTA's ACE page lists several other routes still in their own warning periods, including the B8, B9, Q25, Q63, Q66, Q101 and Bx21.

What gets a ticket

Under the MTA's rules, a vehicle is ticketed only after it is seen by two buses, and only if it:

• stands in a bus lane for more than 5 minutes, or
• blocks or obstructs a bus stop, or is double-parked along the route, for more than 2.5 minutes.

Fines start at $50 and go up by $50 with each additional violation, to a maximum of $250 per violation. Unpaid fines can bring extra fees and could lead to a vehicle being booted, towed or having its registration blocked, the MTA says. ACE violations are civil penalties that do not go on a driver's record or affect insurance rates, and a city employee reviews each one before it is issued. Revenue goes to MTA operations.

The bigger picture

With the additions, ACE is enforced on 76 routes. More than 2,000 buses — about a third of the fleet — carry cameras, covering roughly 825 route miles and more than 1 million weekday riders, the MTA said. The agency says that, combined with bus lanes and street changes, camera enforcement has improved speeds on ACE routes, with some segments seeing gains of nearly 30%.

The B1, B6 and Q65 bring the number of routes activated this year to 22 of the 25 the MTA promised for 2026 in its Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service plan. Route details and signage information are at mta.info/ace.