B46 (New York City bus)

{{Short description|Bus route in Brooklyn, New York}} {{Redirect|Utica Avenue Line (Brooklyn surface)|text=For the proposed subway line along Utica Avenue, see Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway. For additional information on the current bus service, see List of bus routes in Brooklyn and Select Bus Service.}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox bus line |box_width = 300px |number = {{NYC bus infobox header |title=b46 |color1=local |color2=select}} |logo =  |logo_width =  |logo_alt =  |subheader = Utica Avenue Line |image = Flatlands Av Utica Av td 10.jpg |image_width = 300px |image_alt = A B46 Select Bus Service bus |caption = Two Kings Plaza-bound B46 SBS buses; one 2015 XD40 (7309) and one 2018 XD40 (7629), at Utica/Flatlands Avenues in 2018. |system = MTA Regional Bus Operations |operator = New York City Transit Authority |garage = Flatbush Depot |vehicle = '''B46 (and supplemental service for B46 SBS):''' Orion VII NG HEV Orion VII EPA10 New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 '''B46 SBS only:''' New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 Nova Bus LFS articulated |livery = '''B46 SBS:''' Select Bus Service |pvr = |status = |open = 1800s (trolley line) March 18, 1951 (bus service) 1994 (Limited-Stop service) July 3, 2016 (B46 SBS)<ref name=NYCDOT-B46SBS /> |close = |predecessors = |night = |locale = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |communities = |landmarks = |termini =  |start = Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal (full route; local service only) Bedford–Stuyvesant – DeKalb Avenue / Kosciuszko Street station (SBS terminus; short runs) Crown Heights – Eastern Parkway / Utica Avenue station (rush hour short runs) |via = Broadway, Malcolm X Boulevard, Utica Avenue |end = Flatlands – Avenue H and Utica Avenue (short runs) Mill Basin / Marine Park – Kings Plaza / Flatbush Avenue & Avenue U (full route) |length = {{convert|7.17|mi|km}} (trolley)<ref name=BklynEagle-B46PublicNotice-Jan1951 /> {{convert|7.9|mi|km}} (local bus route)<ref name=NYCDOT-B46SBS /><ref name=NYTimes-B46Lotto-1990>{{Cite news|date=1990-07-25|title=Playing the B46 Lotto: Will the Bus Show Up?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/25/nyregion/playing-the-b46-lotto-will-the-bus-show-up.html|access-date=2020-05-01|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220142609/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/25/nyregion/playing-the-b46-lotto-will-the-bus-show-up.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /> {{convert|6|mi|km}} (SBS bus route)<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015/> |otherroutes = |compete = |ibus = |level = |level1 = |frequency = |alt_frequency = |time = |day = 24 hours (B46 local)<ref name=B46SBS-Night group=note>B46 SBS does not operate overnight</ref><ref name=B46 /><ref name="B46SBS" /> |zone = |timetable_link= [https://new.mta.info/document/13886 B46] [https://new.mta.info/document/7091 B46 SBS] |annualpatronage =5,103,274 (2024)<ref name="ridership"/> |transfers = Yes |map_link =  |map = {{B46 SBS BRT RDT|inline=yes}} |map_state = collapsed |map_name =  |previous_line = B45 ← {{font color|white|#00CCFF|B44 SBS}} (by borough) ← {{font color|white|#00CCFF|Q44 SBS}} (by route number) |next_line = B47 → {{font color|white|#00CCFF|B82 SBS}} → {{font color|white|#00CCFF|Q52 SBS}} |notes =  }} The '''B46''' bus route constitutes a public transit corridor in Brooklyn, New York City. The route runs primarily along Utica Avenue north from the Kings Plaza shopping center through Eastern Brooklyn, with continued service west along Broadway to the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal. The corridor was originally served by a streetcar line, known as the '''Utica and Reid Avenues Line''', '''Utica−Reid Line''',<ref name=BklynEagle-B46PublicNotice-Jan1951>{{cite news|title=Public Notices|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50506916/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=January 5, 1951|page=13}}</ref> '''Reid−Utica Line''',<ref>{{cite news|title=16 Are Injured in Crash: Reid-Utica Ave. Trolley and Bus in Collision in Brooklyn|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/06/28/85075585.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=June 28, 1943|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033531/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/06/28/85075585.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> '''Reid Avenue Line''',<ref name=BklynEgleAlmanac-ReidAvLine-1894 /> or '''Utica Avenue Line'''<ref name=FNY-BergenBch-2008>{{cite web|last1=Walsh|first1=Kevin|title=Bergen Beach & Georgetown, Brooklyn|url=http://forgotten-ny.com/2008/11/bergen-beach-georgetown-brooklyn/|publisher=Forgotten New York|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=November 22, 2008|archive-date=December 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052625/http://forgotten-ny.com/2008/11/bergen-beach-georgetown-brooklyn/|url-status=live}}</ref> until 1951, when the line was replaced by bus service. The bus route is operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.

The B46 consistently ranks among the top five busiest routes in New York City, and is the third busiest in Brooklyn after the B82 and B6, serving 13 million riders in 2017.<ref name=ridership>{{cite web | title=Subway and bus ridership for 2024 | website=mta.info | date=June 10, 2025| url=https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2024| access-date=June 11, 2025}}</ref> Because of this, in 2009 the route was selected for conversion into bus rapid transit under Phase II of the city's Select Bus Service (SBS) program, implemented on July 3, 2016. The B46 was also notorious for high incidence of crime and fare evasion; in 2014, the magazine ''The New Yorker'' declared the route "the most dangerous bus route in the city", following several crimes such as the killing of a B46 bus driver in 2008.<ref name=NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014>{{cite magazine|last1=Frazier|first1=Ian|title=Bus Ride|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/14/bus-ride-4|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=April 14, 2014|archive-date=February 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223063946/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/14/bus-ride-4|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Route description and service== [[File:MTA Williamsburg Bridge Plaza 01.jpg|thumb|left|A 2009 Orion VII NG HEV (4577) at the northern terminal of the B46 local, and the former terminal of the streetcar line, the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal.]]

===Streetcar route=== The Utica−Reid streetcar line began at Avenue N and Utica Avenue in Flatlands, just north of the Flatbush Trolley Depot. It ran north along Utica Avenue to the street's terminus at Fulton Street. It then ran north along Reid Avenue to Broadway, and west along Broadway to the Washington Plaza trolley terminal at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. The trackage along Broadway was shared with the Broadway Line.<ref name=BklynEagle-B46PublicNotice-Jan1951/><ref name=FNY-BergenBch-2008 /> The line had previously continued over the Williamsburg Bridge between 1904 and 1923 and during the 1930s, using the southernmost trolley tracks, to the Essex Street terminal on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.<ref name=BklynEagle-WilliamsburgBdgTrolley-Nov1904 /><ref name=NYTimes-WlmsbgBdgTrolley-Feb1931 />

===Current bus service===

[[File:HoJo Hotel Utica & Winthrop jeh.jpg|thumb|A B46 Williamsburg stop at Howard Johnson Hotel at Utica Avenue/Winthrop Street, before Limited conversion to SBS]]

The current B46 route begins at the bus terminal of the Kings Plaza shopping center at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U, on the border of the Mill Basin and Marine Park neighborhoods. After running a short distance on Flatbush Avenue, it turns north onto Utica Avenue, following the trolley route along Utica Avenue, the former Reid Avenue (renamed Malcolm X Boulevard in 1985),<ref name="BenardoWeiss2006">{{cite book|author1=Leonard Benardo|author2=Jennifer Weiss|title=Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, and More Got Their Names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3sTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA91|access-date=July 4, 2016|date=July 1, 2006|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=978-0-8147-9945-1|page=91|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033626/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3sTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA91#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Barron|first1=James|title='Not Much of a Block,' but It's Named for a King|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/nyregion/19mlk.html?_r=0|access-date=July 4, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=January 18, 2009|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033640/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/nyregion/19mlk.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bed-StuyHistoricReportAp2013">{{cite web|title=Bedford Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District: Designation Report|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2496.pdf|website=nyc.gov|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|access-date=July 4, 2016|date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313091831/http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2496.pdf|archive-date=March 13, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Broadway (underneath the BMT Jamaica Line). The segment on Broadway is shared with the B47. The route terminates at the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal,<ref name=B46>{{cite NYC bus|B46}}</ref> which replaced the trolley terminal.<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015>{{cite web|title=Transit & Bus Committee Meeting May 2015|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/150518_1030_Transit&BUS.pdf|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=January 19, 2016|date=May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906021731/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/150518_1030_Transit%26BUS.pdf|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb42015/>

During most hours of the day, seven days a week, the B46 employs limited-stop service along Malcolm X Boulevard, Utica Avenue, and Flatbush Avenue between DeKalb Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard (near the Kosciuszko Street station of the BMT Jamaica Line), and Kings Plaza, via the B46 Select Bus Service route. The B46 SBS operates between Kings Plaza and DeKalb Avenue only, while the B46 local continues to Williamsburg, making all stops along Broadway. Avenue H, and the Crown Heights – Utica Avenue station at Eastern Parkway serve as short turn terminals for B46 local service, while some B46 SBS buses begin or end service at Avenue N, just north of the Flatbush Bus Depot. The B46 SBS does not operate during early morning and late night hours; during this time, the B46 local covers the entire route between Williamsburg and Kings Plaza.<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /><ref name="B46" /><ref name=B46SBS>{{cite NYC bus|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/bkln/b046scur.pdf|display=B46 SBS}}</ref><ref name=MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb42015>See: * {{cite web|title=Utica Avenue Community Advisory Committee Meeting #2: February 4, 2015|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-02-04-brt-utica-cac2-presentation.pdf|website=nyc.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=February 4, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403204935/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-02-04-brt-utica-cac2-presentation.pdf|url-status=live}} * {{cite web|title=B46 Select Bus Service Community Board 3 Town Hall: May 11, 2015|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-05-11-brt-uticaave-cb3-town-hall-presentation.pdf|website=nyc.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=May 11, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403204956/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-05-11-brt-uticaave-cb3-town-hall-presentation.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning: Final Environmental Impact Statement; Chapter 17: Transit and Pedestrians|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/greenpointwill/gw_feis_ch_17.pdf#page=13|website=nyc.gov|publisher=New York City Department of City Planning|access-date=January 19, 2016|date=March 4, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103134822/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/greenpointwill/gw_feis_ch_17.pdf#page=13|archive-date=January 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Prior to SBS implementation in 2016, the service pattern was reversed, in which B46 limited-stop buses would continue to Williamsburg, while B46 local buses terminated at DeKalb Avenue or Eastern Parkway at their northern end, with many buses from both services terminating at Avenue H at their southern end.<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /><ref name=MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb42015/>

The B46 operates out of the Flatbush Bus Depot, which replaced the trolley depot, near Kings Plaza.<ref name=BklynInk-B46Murder-Dec2011/>

====Fare evasion and safety issues==== The B46 has been known for various safety issues, including assaults on and harassment of bus drivers and passengers, correlated with high rates of fare evasion (passengers not paying or refusing to pay a fare). The route runs through several high-crime neighborhoods, including Flatlands, East Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Bedford–Stuyvesant.<ref name=NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014 /><ref name=BklynInk-B46Murder-Dec2011 /><ref name=NYTimes-B46-Feb272014 /><ref name=MetroNY-B46-2015>{{cite news|agency=Reuters|title=Two dead, four others shot in gunfight as Brooklyn wake turns deadly: Mourners opened fire as a dispute broke out after the funeral of a possible Bloods gang member.|url=http://www.metro.us/news/two-dead-as-six-shot-in-gunfire-fight-as-brooklyn-wake-turns-deadly/zsJodB---JY5P3wu1F4g/|access-date=January 20, 2016|work=Metro New York|date=April 28, 2015|archive-date=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127132847/http://www.metro.us/news/two-dead-as-six-shot-in-gunfire-fight-as-brooklyn-wake-turns-deadly/zsJodB---JY5P3wu1F4g/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, it was estimated that there were 4,000 weekly incidents of fare evasion on the B46. The route was also among 10 services that constituted 22% of fare evasion in the city.<ref name=WNYC-NYCBFareEvasion-Sept2008>{{cite news|title=NYC Transit Cracks Down on Fare Evasion on Buses|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/76768-nyc-transit-cracks-down-on-fare-evasion-on-buses/|access-date=January 20, 2016|work=WNYC|date=September 8, 2008|location=New York, NY|archive-date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128053806/http://www.wnyc.org/story/76768-nyc-transit-cracks-down-on-fare-evasion-on-buses/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) ranked the B46 route as the "most dangerous and crime-ridden bus route" in terms of fare evasion and on-bus assaults; in the previous year, there were 41 incidents in which drivers of B46 buses were assaulted or harassed.<ref name=NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014 />

====Select Bus Service stops==== {{#section:Select Bus Service|b46-table}}

====School trippers==== When school is in session, one local bus departs J.H.S. 078 Roy H. Mann at 2:25pm. The trip heads to Utica Avenue via Avenue N and goes north to terminate at Union Street, located near the Crown Heights-Utica Avenue station. When schools are closed, the same trip operates but starts at Utica Avenue/Avenue N.<ref name="B46"/> In addition, three extra SBS buses that terminate at Avenue N in the southbound direction originate at Fulton Street at 2:45, 3:20, and 3:30pm.<ref name="B46 SBS"/>

==History==

=== Streetcars === The Reid Avenue Line was originally a horse trolley line operated by the Broadway Railroad, running between Broadway Ferry in Williamsburg and Atlantic Avenue just south of Fulton Street.<ref name="BklynEgleAlmanac-ReidAvLine-1894">{{cite book|title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac: A Book of Information, General of the World, and Special of New York City and Long Island|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZY3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA222|access-date=January 18, 2016|year=1894|newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|page=222|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033637/https://books.google.com/books?id=kZY3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA222#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1893, the Broadway Railroad was purchased by the Long Island Traction Company, and the line began operations under the subsidiary Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad in November of that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reaching For Routes: The Broadway Application Part of the Syndicate Scheme.|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50506987/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 31, 1893|page=10|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033534/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-reaching-for-ro/50506987/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Surface Railroad Deals|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507039/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=November 25, 1893|page=1|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033628/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-surface-railroa/50507039/|url-status=live}}</ref> The line was electrified on December 9, 1894.<ref>{{cite book|title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac ...: A Book of Information, General of the World, and Special of New York City and Long Island ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0HOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA245|access-date=January 21, 2016|year=1895|publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|page=245|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033532/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0HOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA245#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 1, 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) acquired the route.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rapid Transit Statement: Issued to the Public Through a Wall Street News Bureau−Estimates of Future Earnings|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507092/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=August 26, 1898|page=7|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033535/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-rapid-transit-s/50507092/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 1900, the Reid Avenue Line was extended south along Utica Avenue to the neighborhood of Rugby (now East Flatbush), in conjunction with housing construction in the neighborhood. During the summer months of 1900, the line terminated at the Holy Cross Cemetery, west of Utica Avenue and south of Church Avenue. On October 15, the line was truncated to Utica Avenue and Church Avenue.<ref name="Association2008">{{cite book|author=Branford Electric Railway Association|author-link=Shore Line Trolley Museum|title=Brooklyn Streetcars|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DE10s_Ndmf4C&pg=PT2|date=September 29, 2008|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4396-2045-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Oak Crest, The Lindens, Kings Oaks And Rugby|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507148/|access-date=January 21, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 13, 1900|page=25|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034147/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-oak-crest-the/50507148/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=No More Cars To Holy Cross|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507211/|access-date=January 21, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=October 11, 1900|page=15|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034143/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-no-more-cars-to/50507211/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Wood, Harmon & Co.|title=Rugby: Centre of a Coming City|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507259/|access-date=January 21, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 29, 1900|page=3|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034139/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-directions/50507259/|url-status=live}}</ref> Trolley service continued along the Church Avenue Line and Culver Line to Coney Island.<ref name="Association2008"/><ref name=BklynEagle-UticaTrolleyOpen-April1910/> After the Williamsburg Bridge opened in 1903, Reid Avenue trolleys began running across the south side of the bridge to Manhattan on November 6, 1904. The line used the trolley terminal at Essex Street at the Manhattan foot of the bridge.<ref name=BklynEagle-WilliamsburgBdgTrolley-Nov1904>See: * {{cite news|title=Rush On New Bridge: Sunday Crowds Necessitated Extra Cars. Most Patrons Traveled to Brownsville|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507300/|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=November 7, 1904|page=2|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034157/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-rush-on-new-bri/50507300/|url-status=live}} * {{cite news|title=Through Service on Bridge to End|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/11/22/106020490.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 1923|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034035/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/11/22/106020490.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Cars Crash on Bridge; Two Firmly Locked Together by Collision -- Three Persons Hurt|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/02/19/101833195.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=February 19, 1906|archive-date=August 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827072145/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/02/19/101833195.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 1, 1910, the Utica Avenue Line was inaugurated as a shuttle between Church Avenue and Avenue N, connecting with the Flatbush Avenue Line to Bergen Beach. An additional fare was charged for transfer to the Reid Avenue Line.<ref name="Association2008"/><ref name=BklynEagle-UticaTrolleyOpen-April1910>{{cite news|title=New Trolley Road; Extension Through Utica Avenue to Be Ready June 1; The Line Will Open Up a Big Territory of Borough With Shore Cut to Bay|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507340/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=April 3, 1910|page=24|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034039/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-new-trolley-roa/50507340/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BklynEagle-UticaBRT-Rugby-June1910>{{cite news|title=Rugby Residents Rejoice: Utica Ave. Extension of Reid Ave. Line Near Completion|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507393/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 2, 1910|page=18|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034150/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-rugby-residents/50507393/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BklynEagle-OldFlatbushTrolley-1910>{{cite news|title=Extension of Car Lines in Outlying Section Will Bring Building Up of Only Rural Region Left|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507432/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 4, 1910|page=22|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124034040/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-extension/50507432/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, the town of Flatlands was largely rural farms, and most passengers on the shuttle line were beachgoers.<ref name=BklynEagle-OldFlatbushTrolley-1910/>

On December 1, 1923, service on the Reid Avenue Line and all other now-Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) lines over the Williamsburg Bridge ended, due to decreasing profits and a dispute with the city over tolls. Reid Avenue service was truncated to Washington Plaza, and bridge service was replaced with municipal shuttle service.<ref name=NYTimes-WlmsbgBdgTrolley-Feb1931>See: * {{cite news|title=Restores Bridge Service: B.M.T. Abolishes 2-Cent Fare Today on Through Traffic|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/02/15/98320513.pdf|access-date=January 20, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=February 15, 1931|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035040/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/02/15/98320513.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} * {{cite news|title=Through Trolley Service on Bridge|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507465/|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=February 15, 1931|page=16|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035043/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-through-trolley/50507465/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NYERA-WlmsbgBdgTrolleys-2003>{{cite journal|title=Municipal Operation of Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Cars Began 80 Years Ago|journal=New York Division Bulletin|date=December 2003|volume=46|issue=12|pages=1, 4|url=http://issuu.com/erausa/docs/2003-12-bulletin|access-date=January 21, 2016|publisher=Electric Railroaders Association|archive-date=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127135437/http://issuu.com/erausa/docs/2003-12-bulletin|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 15, 1931, Reid Avenue cars once again began running to Manhattan after municipal shuttle service ended.<ref name=NYTimes-WlmsbgBdgTrolley-Feb1931/><ref name=NYERA-WlmsbgBdgTrolleys-2003/> On July 1, 1937, the Reid and Utica lines were combined into a single-fare service called the "Utica−Reid Line".<ref>{{cite news|title=Utica-Reid Line Gets Single Fare: Endocardium Community Association Succeeds After 2-Year Effort|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507536/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 17, 1937|page=19|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035043/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-utica-reid-line/50507536/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Bus replacement === thumb|left|A 2008 Orion VII NG HEV (3956) on the B46 Limited in 2009, prior to SBS implementation Around this time, many streetcar lines in Brooklyn and the rest of the city began to be replaced by buses, particularly after the unification of the city's three primary transit companies (including the BMT) under municipal operations in June 1940.<ref name="Sparberg2014">{{cite book|last=Sparberg|first=Andrew J.|title=From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oktGCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA111|date=October 1, 2014|publisher=Fordham University Press|isbn=978-0-8232-6190-1}}</ref><ref name=Seyfried-LIER-JamaicaCtrl>{{cite web|author1=Seyfried, Vincent F.|author-link=Vincent F. Seyfried|title=Full text of "Story of the Long Island Electric Railway and the Jamaica Central Railways, 1894-1933 /"|url=https://archive.org/stream/storyoflongislan00seyf/storyoflongislan00seyf_djvu.txt|website=archive.org|publisher=F. E. Reifschneider|access-date=December 20, 2015|date=1961}}</ref> By 1949, the Utica line was one of eleven remaining streetcar routes in Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brooklyn to Keep 11 Trolley Lines|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1949/06/03/84269347.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=June 3, 1949|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035041/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1949/06/03/84269347.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 11, 1951, the New York City Board of Estimate voted unanimously to motorize nearly all the remaining trolley lines in the city, including the Utica−Reid Line.<ref name=BklynEagle-B46PublicNotice-Jan1951 /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bennett|first1=Charles G.|title=Clang! Go 10 More Trolley Lines; Only 3 to Be Left, All in Brooklyn|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/12/87049853.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=January 12, 1951|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035543/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/12/87049853.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 18, 1951, the Utica−Reid Line was replaced by bus service, designated "B-46".<ref name=BklynEagle-B46PublicNotice-Jan1951 /><ref name=BklynEagle-B46-Mar1941>{{cite news|title=Utica Cars Yield To Buses Sunday|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507620/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=March 15, 1941|page=19|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035658/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-utica-cars-yiel/50507620/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kings Plaza was opened in September 1970,<ref name="NYTimes-KingsPlzOpen-Sept1970">{{cite news|last1=Barmash|first1=Isadore|title=Brooklyn Shopping Center to Open in Week|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/09/04/355795922.pdf|access-date=January 30, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=September 4, 1970|archive-date=October 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015000859/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/09/04/355795922.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and the B46 was extended south to the new mall around that time.<ref name="BklynBusMap-1976">{{cite web|title=1976 Brooklyn Bus Map|url=http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=14047|website=wardmaps.com|publisher=New York City Transit Authority|access-date=March 28, 2016|date=1976|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420183428/http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=14047|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BklynBusMap-1974>{{cite web|title=1974 Brooklyn Bus Guide Map|url=http://i41.tinypic.com/2igdtz4.jpg|publisher=New York City Transit Authority|access-date=January 19, 2016|date=1974|archive-date=January 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126064655/http://i41.tinypic.com/2igdtz4.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1980s during summer months, the B46 as well as the {{NYC bus link|B9}} were extended south of Kings Plaza across the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge to the Rockaway peninsula in Queens to serve Jacob Riis Park, with a federal subsidy funding the extension.<ref name="NYTimes-B9-B46-RiisPk-1979">{{cite news|last1=Fower|first1=Glen|title=Riis Park Bus Service Is Extended|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/27/archives/riis-park-bus-service-is-extended-traffic-congestion-cited.html?_r=0|access-date=May 22, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=May 27, 1979|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909052729/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/27/archives/riis-park-bus-service-is-extended-traffic-congestion-cited.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='6 Buses An Hour Tops' Greeley Proposal OKd|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201979%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201979%2520-%25200020.pdf&xml=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffff85eee4c5%26DocId%3D9305159%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cIndex%2520I%252dE%252dV%26HitCount%3D5%26hits%3D25f%2B260%2B261%2B264%2B265%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false|access-date=January 19, 2016|work=Wave of Long Island|agency=Fultonhistory.com|date=July 7, 1979|page=5|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035659/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2021/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island%20%201979/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island%20%201979%20-%200020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

By 1994, service had decreased by 21% since the late 1980s due to competition from unlicensed van services. As enforcement against such vans was increased in summer 1993, ridership increased by 20%. An aggressive marketing program and the implementation of limited-stop service on the B46 were put into place to better compete with the vans.<ref name="nydn19940906"/> Limited-stop service was expected to save 6–8 minutes per trip. Limited-stop service was funded as part of the 1994 Fare Deal/Ridership Growth Initiative. To further take back ridership, the Fare Demonstration Program was introduced to the route, making the round trip bus fare $1.50 instead of $2.50, and the round trip intermodal fare $4 instead of $5. Northbound and southbound riders boarding prior to the stop at Eastern Parkway would receive a return ticket for their return trip from the subway stop.<ref name="nydn19940906"/> Limited-stop service, began on September 12, 1994,<ref name="nydn19940906">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27985813/daily_news/|title=Just a few suggestions for spending the time you'll save now that the B46 bus makes limited stops during rush hours|date=September 6, 1994|work=New York Daily News|access-date=February 3, 2019|pages=860|archive-date=February 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122316/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27985813/daily_news/|url-status=live}}</ref> running between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.. Limited-stop service made all stops north of DeKalb Avenue and south of Avenue H.<ref>* {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/46638855362/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.99|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124035550/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/46638855362/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750219127/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.100}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750217507/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.101|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040625/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750217507/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750215727/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.102|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040601/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750215727/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750214237/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.103|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040601/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750214237/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750213157/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.104|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040602/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750213157/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750209847/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.109|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040603/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750209847/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750208657/in/dateposted-public/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda July 1994|date=July 15, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=D.110|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040603/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/31750208657/in/dateposted-public/|url-status=live}}</ref> Saturday limited-stop service was added on September 10, 1995,<ref name="DailyNews-Sept10-1995">{{cite web|title=At-a-glance Bus Service Changes|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/at-a-glance-bus-service-article-1.709820|work=Daily News (New York)|access-date=December 19, 2015|date=September 17, 1995|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222095651/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/at-a-glance-bus-service-article-1.709820|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="September 10, 1995">''The New York Times'', [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60614FF39540C738EDDA10894DD494D81 Coming Transit Reductions: What They Mean for You] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514053417/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60614FF39540C738EDDA10894DD494D81 |date=May 14, 2006 }}, August 20, 1995, section 13, page 10</ref> operating between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.<ref>* {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018202017/in/album-72157708972399293/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda September 1996|date=September 9, 1996|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=326|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412220708/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018202017/in/album-72157708972399293/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018201517/in/album-72157708972399293/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda September 1996|date=September 9, 1996|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=327–328|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412220716/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018201517/in/album-72157708972399293/|url-status=live}} * {{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018123258/in/album-72157708972399293/|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda September 1996|date=September 9, 1996|publisher=New York City Transit|pages=329–330|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=April 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408054748/https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48018123258/in/album-72157708972399293/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 1, 2008, bus driver Edwin Thomas, who was operating a B46 Limited bus that day, was fatally stabbed by a passenger who did not pay his fare and, as a result, was refused a transfer. It was the first time a New York City bus operator had been killed on the job since an incident on the {{NYC bus link|B44}} in 1981, where another bus driver was fatally shot, also because the driver had refused to give the passenger a transfer.<ref name=NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014 /><ref name=BklynInk-B46Murder-Dec2011>{{cite web|last1=Hiatt|first1=Anna|title=Murder on the B46: Three Years Gone|url=http://thebrooklynink.com/2011/12/20/39297-murder-on-the-b46-three-years-gone/|publisher=The Brooklyn Ink|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=December 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126135846/http://thebrooklynink.com/2011/12/20/39297-murder-on-the-b46-three-years-gone/|archive-date=January 26, 2016|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes-Arrest-Dec022008>{{cite web | last=Hauser | first=Christine | title=Man Is Arrested in Death of Brooklyn Bus Driver | website=The New York Times | date=December 2, 2008 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/nyregion/03arrest.html | access-date=February 15, 2016 | archive-date=October 28, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028085017/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/nyregion/03arrest.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The incident led to the strict enforcement of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) policy not to confront fare evaders,<ref name=NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014 /><ref name=BklynInk-B46Murder-Dec2011/><ref name=NYTimes-B46-Feb272014/> and installation of Plexiglas partitions on many city buses to protect bus operators; previously drivers were only protected by a single metal bar.<ref name=BklynInk-B46Murder-Dec2011/><ref name=NYTimes-B46-Feb272014/> The pilot program for the bus partitions began at the Flatbush Depot, where the B46 is dispatched from, in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Shilling|first1=Erik|title=Buses Get a 'shield' for Drivers|url=https://nypost.com/2009/03/06/buses-get-a-shield-for-drivers/|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=New York Post|date=March 6, 2009|archive-date=January 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129182223/http://nypost.com/2009/03/06/buses-get-a-shield-for-drivers/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=NYCT, TWU Issue Proposals For Increased Bus Operator Safety: Policy Changes Come in Wake of Murder of Bus Operator Edwin Thomas|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/nyct-twu-issue-proposals-increased-bus-operator-safety|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=January 18, 2016|location=New York|date=December 18, 2008|archive-date=January 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126132319/http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/nyct-twu-issue-proposals-increased-bus-operator-safety|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Neuman|first1=William|title=Driver-Protection Partitions to Be Tested on Buses|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/nyregion/19mta.html|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=December 18, 2008|archive-date=December 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215221727/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/nyregion/19mta.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year as Thomas's stabbing, the MTA and New York City Police Department (NYPD) began deploying teams of police officers as well as squads of uniformed and plainclothes transit security officials (called EAGLE teams) on the B46 and other target routes to crack down on fare evaders, in the spirit of the broken windows theory.<ref name="NYTimes-B46-Feb272014" /><ref name="WNYC-NYCBFareEvasion-Sept2008" /> On February 26, 2014, an NYPD officer was shot in the legs by a fare evader after pulling him off a B46 bus.<ref name="NewYorker-B46-BusRide-Apr2014" /><ref name=NYTimes-B46-Feb272014>{{cite news|last1=Schwirtz|first1=Michael|title=For Drivers on Some City Bus Routes, Requesting the $2.50 Fare Can Be Dangerous|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/nyregion/for-drivers-on-some-city-bus-routes-requesting-the-2-50-fare-can-be-dangerous.html?_r=0|access-date=January 18, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=February 27, 2014|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124040610/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/nyregion/for-drivers-on-some-city-bus-routes-requesting-the-2-50-fare-can-be-dangerous.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes-Arrest-Dec022008/>

===Select Bus Service=== {{see also|Select Bus Service#B46}} In 2004, the Malcolm X Boulevard-Utica Avenue corridor was one of eight Brooklyn bus corridors studied under the city's bus rapid transit (BRT) study.<ref name="NYCBRT-2004">{{cite web|title=Bus Rapid Transit: NYCBRT Study|url=http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/brt/brt_presentation.pdf|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation|access-date=February 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050512082953/http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/brt/brt_presentation.pdf|archive-date=May 12, 2005|url-status=dead|date=2004}}</ref> In 2009, the B46 was included in a list of potential routes for the second phase of Select Bus Service (SBS), the city's brand of BRT service.<ref name="DOTMTA-BRTSBSII-2009">{{cite web|title=Introduction to Bus Rapid Transit Phase II|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/intro_to_brt_phase2.pdf|date=2009|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024528/http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/intro_to_brt_phase2.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DOTMTA-BRTSBSIIFuture-June2010">{{cite web|title=Bus Rapid Transit Phase II: Future Corridors|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt_future_corridors.pdf|date=June 2010|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=January 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211613/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt_future_corridors.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="DOTMTA-SBS-Nov2013">{{cite web|title=Select Bus Service|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-dot-select-bus-service-report.pdf|date=November 2013|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation, MTA New York City Transit Authority|access-date=December 13, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304205005/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-dot-select-bus-service-report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The B46 was identified due to high ridership, isolation from subway service, and slow travel speeds caused by traffic congestion.<ref name=DOTMTA-BRTSBSII-2009/><ref name=DOTMTA-BRTSBSIIFuture-June2010/><ref name="NYCDOT-B46SBS">{{cite web|title=Utica Avenue Select Bus Service|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/routes/utica.shtml|work=nyc.gov|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=May 1, 2020|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201054740/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/routes/utica.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Under the plan, the then-current local/limited service pattern would be reversed. The B46 Limited would become the B46 SBS, running between Kings Plaza and DeKalb Avenue only. The B46 Local would cover the Broadway portion of the route at all times, due to lower ridership on this section of the line. Limited-stop service would be instituted on the southern portion of the line between Kings Plaza and Avenue H, with local buses covering the stops on this portion of the route.<ref name=NYCDOT-B46SBS /><ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /><ref name="MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb42015" />

thumb|A 2019 XD60 (6147) deadheading on the B46 SBS route at Eastern Parkway/Utica Avenue in January 2022

Preliminary studies and community outreach began in 2011,<ref name=NYCDOT-B46SBS /> with around 25 community meetings taking place.<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /><ref name="NYCGov-B46SBS-Jul2016">{{cite news|title=OneNYC: Mayor de Blasio Announces Start of Select Bus Service on Utica Avenue – Major Upgrades for Brooklyn's Busiest Bus Route|url=http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/594-16/onenyc-mayor-de-blasio-start-select-bus-service-utica-avenue-major-upgrades-for|access-date=July 8, 2016|work=nyc.gov|date=July 7, 2016|location=New York City|archive-date=August 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817032828/http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/594-16/onenyc-mayor-de-blasio-start-select-bus-service-utica-avenue-major-upgrades-for|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, the first dedicated bus lanes were installed on Utica Avenue between St. Johns Place and Church Avenue, offset from the sidewalk curb.<ref name=NYCDOT-B46SBS /><ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /><ref name="MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb42015" /> In May 2015, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) announced plans to implement the B46 SBS in the fall of that year.<ref name=MTA-Transit&Bus-May2015 /> In the summer of that year, the bus lanes were extended south to Fillmore Avenue.<ref name=MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb172016>{{cite web|title=B46 Select Bus Service Community Board 18: February 17, 2016|url=http://www1.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt-uticaave-cb18-transportation-committee-2016.pdf|website=nyc.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=February 23, 2016|date=February 17, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304161658/http://www1.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt-uticaave-cb18-transportation-committee-2016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The implementation was pushed back, however, with two other SBS routes (the {{NYC bus link|M86|Q44|prose=y}}) going into service during this time. The B46 Select Bus Service was later announced to begin in spring 2016, then to summer 2016,<ref name="NYCDOT-B46SBS" /><ref name="amny20160101">{{cite news|last1=Harshbarger|first1=Rebecca|date=December 29, 2015|title=NYC transit 2016: Where subway Wi-Fi is coming, new Citi Bike stations|work=AM New York|url=http://www.amny.com/news/nyc-transit-2016-where-subway-wi-fi-is-coming-new-citi-bike-stations-1.11273923|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-date=January 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118122554/http://www.amny.com/news/nyc-transit-2016-where-subway-wi-fi-is-coming-new-citi-bike-stations-1.11273923|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=MTADOT-B46SBS-Feb172016/><ref name=MTA-ReviewAC-2015>{{cite web|title=Review of the A and C Lines|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/AC_LineReview.pdf|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=January 19, 2016|date=December 11, 2015|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203061138/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/AC_LineReview.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> finally beginning service on July 3, 2016.<ref name="NYCDOT-B46SBS" /><ref name="NYCGov-B46SBS-Jul2016"/> Initially, the B46 SBS ran with shorter {{convert|40|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} buses, unlike most other Select Bus Service routes, which used longer {{convert|60|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} articulated buses. In late 2019, the MTA indicated that it would start using articulated buses on the route by January 2020 to increase passenger capacity.<ref name="MTA-CPOC-Sep2019">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/190923_1430_CPOC.pdf|title=Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting September 2019|date=September 23, 2019|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=March 29, 2018|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100659/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/190923_1430_CPOC.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|353}}

=== Bus redesign === On December 1, 2022, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Brooklyn bus network.<ref name="Brachfeld 202212">{{cite web | last=Brachfeld | first=Ben | title=Draft plan for new Brooklyn bus network aims to finally end decades of slow, unreliable service | website=amNewYork | date=December 1, 2022 | url=https://www.amny.com/new-york/brooklyn/mta-draft-redesign-brooklyn-bus-network/ | access-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-date=December 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201232845/https://www.amny.com/new-york/brooklyn/mta-draft-redesign-brooklyn-bus-network/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Crain's New York Business 202212">{{cite web | title=Brooklyn bus riders could finally get faster service under MTA redesign | website=Crain's New York Business | date=December 1, 2022 | last=Spivack | first=Caroline | url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/brooklyn-bus-riders-could-finally-get-faster-service-under-mta-redesign | access-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202024935/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/brooklyn-bus-riders-could-finally-get-faster-service-under-mta-redesign | url-status=live }}</ref> As part of the redesign, B46 local service north of Woodhull Hospital would be discontinued, and closely spaced stops would be eliminated.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Draft Plan: B46 Local|url=https://new.mta.info/project/brooklyn-bus-network-redesign/routes/b46-local|access-date=2022-12-03|website=MTA|language=en|archive-date=December 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203031232/https://new.mta.info/project/brooklyn-bus-network-redesign/routes/b46-local|url-status=live}}</ref> The B46 SBS's morning rush hour frequencies would be slightly increased, but the route would remain otherwise unchanged.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Draft Plan: B46 SBS|url=https://new.mta.info/project/brooklyn-bus-network-redesign/routes/b46-sbs|access-date=2022-12-03|website=MTA|language=en|archive-date=December 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203031238/https://new.mta.info/project/brooklyn-bus-network-redesign/routes/b46-sbs|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Incidents== On January 7, 2015, a B46 Limited bus to Williamsburg was at full capacity during the P.M. rush when a fast-pacing BMW crashed into the front of the bus at Clarendon Road. 19 passengers on the bus were slightly injured, while three in the two cars involved were in critical condition.<ref>{{cite web|title=25 injured in Brooklyn bus crash|url=https://nypost.com/2015/01/07/25-injured-in-brooklyn-bus-crash/|author=Larry Celona, Daniel Prendergast, Kirstan Conley|publisher=New York Post|date=7 January 2015|access-date=3 February 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=25 Injured in Brooklyn Crash Involving MTA Bus and Two Cars|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/01/25-injured-in-crash-involving-mta-bus-and-2-cars.html|author=Margaret Hartmann|publisher=New York Magazine|date=8 January 2015|access-date=3 February 2026}}</ref>

==Connecting bus routes== Source:<ref>{{Cite NYC bus map|B}}</ref> * {{NYC bus link|B24|B32|B39|B44 SBS|B60|B62|Q54|Q59}} (at Williamsburg Bridge Plaza) * {{NYC bus link|B48}} (at Lorimer Street) * {{NYC bus link|B43}} (at Thornton Street/Flushing Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B57}} (at Flushing Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B54}} (at Myrtle Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B47}} (at Malcolm X Boulevard) * B46 SBS (at DeKalb Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B38}} (at DeKalb/Lafayette Avenues) * {{NYC bus link|B52}} (at Quincy Street/Gates Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B26}} (at Halsey Street) * {{NYC bus link|B25}} (at Chauncey/Fulton Streets) * {{NYC bus link|B15|B65}} (at Dean/Bergen Streets; local only) * {{NYC bus link|B45}} (at St. John’s Place; local only) * {{NYC bus link|B14|B17}} (at Eastern Parkway/Union Street) * {{NYC bus link|B12}} (at Montgomery Street/Empire Boulevard) * {{NYC bus link|B35}} (at Church Avenue) * {{NYC bus link|B8}} (at Avenue D) * {{NYC bus link|B7}} (at Glenwood Road/Kings Highway; local only) * {{NYC bus link|B6|B103|BM2}} (at Avenue H) * {{NYC bus link|B82|B82 SBS|BM1}} (at Flatlands Avenue/Avenue K) * {{NYC bus link|B41}} (at Avenue N; Bergen Beach only) * {{NYC bus link|B100}} (at Fillmore Avenue; local only; one block east) * {{NYC bus link|B2|B9|B41|Q35}} (at Flatbush Avenue/Kings Plaza) * {{NYC bus link|B3}} (at Avenue U)

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{attached KML|display=inline,title|from=B46 (New York City bus)}} {{Commons category|B46 (New York City bus)}} * [http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/B46SBS.html B46 Select Bus Service] − mta.info * [http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/routes/utica.shtml Utica Avenue Select Bus Service] − NYCDOT

Category:Streetcar lines in Brooklyn B046 B046 B46