I started taking the B63 from 86th St up to 9th St this week. This morning I waited at the rear door because I saw an OMNY reader there—figured we were all allowed to board at every door now. The bus pulls up and the back doors do not open. Driver gets on the speaker and says 'front only.' A few of us had to run up and the front line got messy. Is all-door boarding only for Select Bus Service? Why do they even put readers on the back of a local bus if they don't turn them on? I just don't want to be that person holding the bus again.

You're not holding the bus; the rollout is just weird. It's not SBS-only anymore, but local and limited routes are hit or miss. Some buses have the rear reader mounted but it's dark, meaning the operator has it off or the route isn't enabled. Best move: before you wait back there, look for the green light on the reader. If it's not lit, board front. I've seen it work on newer buses but not every run. It's frustrating because it should speed things up, but you didn't do anything wrong.

Same exact thing happened to me on the Q58. I was at the third door with my phone out like a fool and the driver waved me to the front. Now I just always go to the front unless I see a bunch of people already tapping at the back. Is there any way to tell from outside while the bus is pulling up? Also, if the reader is dark and you still swipe/tap it, does it actually charge you? I was too nervous to try.

Safest bet: front unless the rear reader is lit and you hear a beep when someone else taps. A dark reader shouldn't charge you—it's not armed. On the B63, I've had rear boarding work maybe a third of the time, usually on the newer buses. Some operators keep all doors front-only because they can watch fare payment. I get it, but on a busy local route it backs the line into the crosswalk. If I see rear doors open and a green light, I use them; otherwise I don't bother.

Thanks, this is super helpful. I checked today and the rear reader was totally dark, so I just went front and tapped once. But the front line took forever because there was a stroller and like eight of us with bags. Wouldn't all-door boarding fix that? Do they read feedback if I send something? I don't expect a response but maybe if enough of us say it the B63 gets it turned on.

They do look at the bus feedback form, especially if you list route, direction, time, and stop. Whether it moves the rollout is another question. The B63 sees a lot of 5th Ave shoppers and school runs, so rear boarding would help. Until then, the green light trick is the only way to avoid the front-only scramble. Rear readers aren't just for show, but they're not a promise either.