New to the B63 and I can't figure out the schedule. Tuesday I got to 5th Ave and 9th around 5:40, app said next bus 4 min, then 9, then 16. Twenty-five minutes later three buses pull up together. I took the third and it was half empty while the first two were packed. Is this just normal for this route or did I miss a short-turn? Do drivers see the gap and just not care? Trying to decide if I should leave earlier, walk to the R, or just accept it.

firstbodega welcome to the B63, the route where the schedule is basically fan fiction. Bunching happens between 5th Ave traffic and the double-parking around 86th. Use BusTime, not the countdown clock—the clock at 9th is frequently wrong.

If you see three coming, do not wait for the third. Third bus is usually the one that gets pulled out or short-turned at 39th. I've had better luck walking two stops south toward 11th if the app shows the first bus crawling.

Okay this is wild, I just moved to Sunset Park and thought the B63 was the exception. Last Thursday three came at once at 45th and 5th, all with 'Next bus please' or not in service? Actually one was not in service, two were in service, then a gap. Is there a terminal nearby or do drivers just leave the garage together? Also what does BusTime show that Google Maps doesn't? Sorry if that's basic.

just_moved_jake I think Sunset Park is near the depot? Not sure. My first winter riding the B63 and I already learned not to trust the schedule in the cold. When it drops below freezing, the buses seem to bunch even more around 8 a.m., and then someone holds the rear door causing a 90-second drama. Does cold actually affect the schedule, or is it just more people taking the bus?

Hi, also new here. I came from the 2 train and started taking the B63 when the R was messed up. Is it dumb to run from 50th to 52nd when you see a bus stuck at the light? I've done it twice. Once I made it, once the driver looked me in the eye and closed the door. I felt like a tourist in my own city. Maybe there's an unwritten rule that you don't try to beat the bus to the next stop?

Thanks Flatbush_Fi, I downloaded BusTime and the first bus I picked was a ghost bus? It showed 5 min away for ten minutes then disappeared. Is that a thing or did I read it wrong? Also just_moved_jake I also saw a 'Next bus please' at 5th and 9th, no explanation. firstwinter I don't know if cold matters, but I've seen traffic get worse after rain, so maybe it's all connected. Does anyone know if there's a better stop to wait at going south?

firstbodega ghost bus definitely a thing. BusTime will sometimes show a bus that never left the depot or got reassigned, and the map doesn't update until it's too late. If a bus says 5 min for too long, start walking.

For southbound, I prefer 5th and 14th or 3rd and 9th? Wait no, 5th and 14th has the fire station and cars blocking the box. Honestly, the best B63 stop is the one before a red light, because the bus will actually be there waiting. fresh_off_metro racing one block is legal but not worth the humiliation. Drivers can and will close the door, it's in the MTA handbook of petty.

Flatbush_Fi that 'one before the red light' tip makes sense. I tried it yesterday: I waited at 47th instead of 45th and the bus pulled up two minutes later, empty. Felt like I'd cracked the code. But then the driver sat at the light for four minutes and got passed by the next B63 express? No, not express, just another local. Do locals sometimes run express? I saw it skip stops through the 40s.

just_moved_jake that might have been a Limited? Does the B63 have a Limited or SBS? I thought only B35 and B46 do. I've also seen buses skip stops when they're severely late and the driver yells 'next bus will pick up.' Is that allowed or just a driver making the schedule look better? Yesterday a driver let a woman off in the crosswalk at 54th because traffic wasn't moving and I didn't know if I should follow her.

firstwinter I think the B63 is local only, no SBS. But after two weeks of this thread I've started walking up to 5th Ave and 15th instead of relying on the bus for the short hop. It's not faster, but it's less stressful. This morning I passed a bus at 9th, then another empty one a block later, and I would have beat both to 12th on foot. Is the B63 just a walking route in disguise? Maybe I'm using it wrong. Does anyone here actually take it end to end?