MTA M14

I have mixed feelings about the M14. As for crosstown buses in general, rush hour is never a good idea, and with the L Train running under 14^th st from 1^st Ave all the way to 8^th Ave, you might as well take the train for the same price and none of the frustration when traffic is bad. However, in those times when the city is not overcrowded with cars, and you need to get from the East Village up to the West side, or vice versa, the M14 is a pretty good bus. It runs fairly frequently, goes down into areas that are hard to reach from the subway (Ave A & Ave D) and is usually a double bus. So, like all buses, when there’s no traffic, this is a great route, but when there’s a lot of traffic, forget it. I still don’t know why this route hasn’t been converted to SBS, since it has one of the highest riderships in the system, but that’s a topic for another time.

Going crosstown from East to West or West to East in Manhattan? The M14D bus ushered myself and a friend from Fifth Avenue/​41^st Street to Eighth Avenue/​14^th Street without any issues. The ride is efficient and the interval waiting times are not an eternity. It gets the job done as I need to attain my ultimate source of mass transportation– the A train entering Queens.

I often take the M14D from 14^th Street and first Avenue and the bus usually comes quickly but it’s also usually crowded.
It gets me where I need to go and overall, I’m happy with the service.

The M14 is a roundabout way to get across town, but I rather like it when I’m going crosstown from 8^th avenue; I can pick my seat, and read, text, or knit. The 14A comes across town on 14^th street to Avenue A, and drops me just across the park from home.
It’s also a 24-​hour bus, and one of the most reliable. All the M14 buses are «caterpillar» buses, with a fun rotary section joining the front and back.