Bally's to offer free Bronx shuttle bus making 10 stops after acquiring former Trump Links golf course
NEW YORK -- There's excitement in the Bronx over a potential boost to tourism there.
After recently acquiring the former Trump Links golf course, Bally's announced Monday it's going to sponsor a free shuttle bus for New Yorkers to prime locations in the Bronx.
The bright red Bally's bus will soon be a free ride for Bronxites to travel anywhere between Bally's Golf Links and the Hutchinson River Parkway. By offering free rides, Bally's is sending a message to the community.
"You are all welcome to come on over," Bally's Golf Links general manger Brian Crowell said. "It's one of the golf courses that is in the top 10 municipal golf courses in the country."
For public officials, it's also a beacon of hope.
"This free shuttle service gives us an opportunity to build in our borough," Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said.
"We knew that this was something that this community needed, that various demographics of people -- seniors, veterans, children, families -- were still struggling to get to the amenities around them, whether it's the store down the BID, or the supermarket, or to the park, or even to the main train line," New York State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez, who represents New York's 34th District, said during Monday's announcement.
The bus will make 10 stops -- one of them being the Bally's Golf Links course, formerly known as Trump Links. Bally's recently acquired it and will change all the signage to reflect that next week.
"The east Bronx is a transportation desert," Fernandez said. "One train line that barely comes to the edge over here, and very few bus services that can get to the nooks and crannies of our community."
Bally's also has a bid in with the state to build a casino on the golf course property. Ultimately, it will need community support.
"We know one thing -- we got the golf course. So let's enjoy that and let's help them grow, let's help them do better. Because if they do better, they're going to better with us," said Bob Jaen, executive director of the Throggs Neck Business Improvement District.
The bus will run Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting October 1 until the end of the year. The stops include the Throggs Neck Ferry, multiple parts of East Tremont Avenue and the Westchester Square subway.
"If we can increase the riders on the ferry, that's a bonus. If we can increase people riding on the shuttle to shop and dine and go out with their families in the Throggs Neck BID and in Westchester Square BID, that's a bonus," Jaen said.
The bus will only drop off and pick up at the 10 designated stops and will not pull over in between. It will also soon be launching an app, so people can track it in real time.
As for the casino bid, it could be several months until the state takes the next steps in that decision process.
The shuttle bus will run Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. It starts Oct. 1. It will be hooked up to an app, so riders can track it in real time.
