End of Line for Culver Shuttle

The Borough Park Culver shuttle service will go the way of the trolley car with the Transit Authority announcement yesterday of its closing effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The 1.1-mile shuttle accommodated about 1,000 daily users, running between the BMT B line at Ninth Ave. and 39th St. and the IND F line at Ditmas and McDonald Aves.

The decision was made by the TA in a message to Mayor Beame and the Board of Estimate despite a heated public hearing on May 1 with most speakers opposing the discontinuance of service.

The authority cited as its reasons for closing the operating costs of the service together with the substantial investment that would be necessary to assure the continued safety of the structure as wholly disproportionate to the number of passengers served.

The TA has announced that a parallel bus route (B-35) will provide more frequent service than the shuttle and will be put into use.

Many of those at the hearing who expressed displeasure at the intended move by the authority were senior citizens who were fearful of standing on dark street corners waiting for the bus.

Several of the speakers at the hearing suggested modifications to the bus service to minimize inconvenience to former shuttle riders. The TA has said that its Surface Department is studying these suggestions.