Community Corner
Vans Still Picking up Former B71 Passengers
With the B71 bus line gone, private commuter vans are still a lifesaver for getting from Red Hook to Crown Heights.
When the B71 bus line was cancelled last year, many travelers in Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus lost their quickest and cheapest link to Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights. In September 2010 the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission gave out special licenses to commuter vans, such as Thorne’s Brooklyn Van Lines, to pick up passengers along the old bus route.
In May 2011, however, the TLC cancelled the van routes due to low ridership, reports the Brooklyn Ink. Still equipped with their TLC license, though they are not technically permitted to, Brooklyn Van Lines continues to pick up passengers along the B71 route – and no commuters seem to be complaining.
The vans, which cost $2 each way, don’t have set schedules or routes. To request a pickup, simply .
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The Brooklyn Ink quotes Crown Heights resident Ty Jones, who uses Brooklyn Van Lines to take her child to her babysitter in Park Slope, and said, “Without this service I would have to pay $10 each way for a cab.”
But without any proper advertising, the van line relies on word of mouth for business.
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"When you see them coming down the street, it looks like a commercial van," Kim Yee, a frequent passenger on Brooklyn Van Lines told Patch in July. "A lot of people aren't aware that they are offering this service, so they need to publicize themselves more."
Osmond Thorne, owner and operator of Brooklyn Van Lines, told the Brooklyn Ink that he’s seen an increase in riders since the beginning of the school year, and hopes to soon add more buses to the old B71 route.
