Mayor Zohran Mamdani has yet to realize his campaign promise of making the buses fast and free — but one skincare company is offering free rides between two premier Brooklyn parks for the next two weeks.
The Ordinary is offering a free hourly shuttle bus running between Domino Park on the Williamsburg waterfront and Prospect Park from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, and noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays through June 9.
A top Ordinary exec said the all-white “Ordinary Bus” is a way to advertise its products while getting people between two desirable locations not served by the transportation network.
“ We are now leaning into transportation in New York. New York is, I think, well-known for the fragmented public transportation we have, so I hope this can help,” said Jesper Rasmussen, the Danish-born global brand president for The Ordinary.
Rasmussen said it was “a little bit disturbing” that anyone who wants to get between the parks on public transit would have to take several buses or train lines.
He expects the service to have a daily ridership of 1,000. The company’s website tracks the bus and shows how many people are on board.
But the connection between The Ordinary, which pitches itself as challenging the beauty industry, and public transit remained as murky as a cure for severe acne.
The MTA is phasing out MetroCards. But Ordinary cards were up for grabs.
“Respectfully, this is a bit like the Hampton Jitney of Brooklyn, connecting two of the wealthiest, most visited areas of the world's most fabulous borough,” Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the Riders Alliance, wrote in an email. “Struggling bus riders from neighborhoods far from the subway, who commute too hard to reach parts of the city, need public investment to lower costs and save travel time.”
Pearlstein is urging Mamdani to use the ongoing city budget process to expand free bus service and the Fair Fares program, which offers half-priced subway and bus trips for low- income New Yorkers.
The skincare company was still ironing out some kinks with the free shuttle on Tuesday.
The Ordinary invited several influencers and a Gothamist reporter to check out the bus. But before the photo-op could take place, NYPD officers informed company officials that the bus was parked in a no-standing zone. A driver moved the bus out of Domino Park and across the street.
Influencer Sade Shakur, of Harlem, said she bought a car because she can’t stand the MTA. She came to inspect the bus and declared it ready for prime time.
“ I think that's fab,” said Shakur, 35. “ I love me a Prospect Park. But I don't like Prospect Park traffic on my own, so I love the charter.”
The MTA is currently redesigning the Brooklyn bus network. As part of early planning for the overhaul, the MTA released a new map showing the B69 running from Greenpoint to Windsor Terrace, which would make it easier for North Brooklyn residents to get to Prospect Park. Currently, that route begins or ends in Downtown Brooklyn.
When asked if the free shuttle bus service might continue past June 9, Rasmussen said, “You never know. Maybe.”
