Route 59 Bus Schedule: Times, Stops & Map
59 bus schedule is a broad search because many different transit agencies use Route 59 or S59. A Route 59 bus in Chicago is not the same as Route 59 in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Boston, Orange County, or Staten Island.
This rider guide helps you identify the correct agency first, then check the official timetable, major stops, route map, ticket price, live bus tracker, alerts, accessibility, and arrival timing before you leave.
There Is No Single “Route 59 Bus Schedule”
Route 59 is used by several unrelated agencies. The right schedule depends on your city, transit operator, direction, service day, stop, and route branch. Before trusting a time, confirm whether you mean CTA 59 in Chicago, SEPTA 59 in Philadelphia, NJ TRANSIT 59 in New Jersey, MBTA 59 near Boston, OCTA 59 in Orange County, MTA S59 on Staten Island, or another local operator.
Start with the city or region where you are boarding.
CTA, SEPTA, NJ TRANSIT, MBTA, OCTA, MTA, or your local system.
Check the headsign, terminal, route branch, and stop side.
Ticket price, transfers, zones, and cash rules vary by agency.
Live arrival can change because of traffic, alerts, or cancellations.
Route 59 Bus Schedule Guide
Which Route 59 Bus Are You Looking For?
Use this section as a route resolver. Open the official page for your agency, select today’s date if the site offers a date selector, choose the correct direction, then check your exact stop or stop ID.
CTA 59 59th/61st — Chicago, Illinois
CTA Route 59 is the 59th/61st bus. The official route page shows service between the Midway Orange Line station area and the 60th/Stony Island area.
Rider tip: CTA lists terminal service spans, but mid-route stops are reached later than terminal departure times. Use the schedule PDF, trip planner, or CTA Bus Tracker for your actual stop.
SEPTA 59 Castor-Bustleton — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SEPTA Route 59 is commonly shown as Castor-Bustleton to Arrott Transportation Center. Key map context includes Arrott Transportation Center, Castor Avenue, Cottman Avenue, Roosevelt Mall, Bustleton Avenue, and Bells Corner Loop.
Rider tip: Arrott Transportation Center has multiple routes and rail connections nearby, so check the exact bay/stop and direction before boarding.
NJ TRANSIT 59 — Newark, Plainfield & Dunellen, New Jersey
NJ TRANSIT Route 59 is a New Jersey bus route serving the Newark, Elizabeth, Cranford, Westfield, Scotch Plains, Plainfield, and Dunellen corridor. Direction choices commonly include trips toward Newark or Dunellen.
Rider tip: NJ TRANSIT bus fares depend on zones. Use the official schedule, trip planner, or NJ TRANSIT app to confirm zones, exact fare, and the correct five-digit stop ID.
MBTA 59 Needham Junction — Watertown Square, Massachusetts
MBTA Route 59 connects Needham Junction and Watertown Square, generally via Needham Street. Riders should use the MBTA schedule page, MBTA trip planner, or official transit apps for the current day’s schedule and alerts.
Rider tip: the route can feel different depending on direction and traffic. Use the exact stop pair instead of assuming every trip takes the same time.
OCTA 59 Anaheim / Brea — Irvine, California
OCTA Route 59 operates in Orange County and is listed as a Brea/Anaheim to Irvine route via corridors such as Birch, Kraemer, Glassell, Grand, and Von Karman. Key points can include Brea Mall, Orange Transportation Center, Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, and University Center.
Rider tip: this is a long corridor route, so check the exact direction and timepoint. Weekend service can be much less frequent than weekday service.
MTA S59 Port Richmond — Tottenville, Staten Island
The MTA Staten Island route is normally shown as S59, not plain Route 59. It connects Port Richmond and Tottenville via Richmond Avenue and is tracked through MTA Bus Time.
Rider tip: include the “S” when searching. S59 is a Staten Island route; it is not the same as Route 59 in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Boston, or Orange County.
How to Read Route 59 Times Correctly
Do not copy a Route 59 time from one city to another. First bus, last bus, weekend service, frequency, and ride time depend on the specific operator and direction. Scheduled time is the plan; live arrival is the same-day prediction.
| Route 59 example | What to check | Timing guidance | When to arrive |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTA 59 59th/61st | Midway direction, 60th/Stony Island direction, weekday/Saturday span, CTA Bus Tracker. | CTA publishes terminal spans. Mid-route stops are reached later than terminal starts, so use CTA Bus Tracker for stop-specific arrival. | Arrive 5–10 minutes early; allow more at Midway or during traffic. |
| SEPTA 59 Castor-Bustleton | Arrott Transportation Center direction, Castor/Bustleton direction, transfer points, current SEPTA schedule. | Use the SEPTA schedule or trip planner because transfer timing around Arrott can change your full trip time. | Arrive 5–10 minutes early and confirm the correct bay/stop. |
| NJ TRANSIT 59 | Direction to Newark or Dunellen, zones, stop ID, MyBus predicted arrival. | Because this route crosses many communities, check the exact stop pair and fare zones before boarding. | Be at the stop a few minutes early; NJ TRANSIT stop IDs help confirm the exact location. |
| MBTA 59 | Needham Junction direction, Watertown Square direction, alerts, exact stop pair. | Some listed trips take roughly 32–48 minutes end-to-end, but traffic and stop choice can change the actual ride time. | Arrive 5–10 minutes early and check MBTA alerts before leaving. |
| OCTA 59 | Brea/Anaheim direction, Irvine direction, weekday vs weekend headways, long-corridor timing. | Weekday frequency may be much better than weekend frequency. Use the official route PDF or app for the exact stop. | Arrive 10 minutes early for long trips or less frequent weekend service. |
| MTA S59 | Port Richmond direction, Tottenville direction, MTA Bus Time, service alerts. | Use “S59” when searching. Staten Island local bus service can be affected by bridge, event, and road congestion. | Arrive 5–10 minutes early and recheck Bus Time. |
Route 59 Ticket Price Depends on the Agency
There is no national Route 59 fare. Payment method, transfer rules, reduced fares, fare caps, and zone pricing depend on the operator.
CTA cash bus fare is listed separately at $2.50 and does not include transfers. Use Ventra or contactless payment for transfer benefits.
SEPTA supports contactless and SEPTA Key payment. Transfer rules depend on fare product and payment method.
NJ TRANSIT bus fare depends on the number of zones traveled. Check the Route 59 PDF, app, or trip planner before boarding.
MBTA Local Bus fares can be paid with CharlieCard, CharlieTicket, contactless payment, or cash where accepted.
OCTA fare options include OC Bus app, Wave, contactless payment, and cash. Transfer and fare-cap benefits depend on payment method.
Use OMNY or MetroCard where accepted. OMNY fare capping can help frequent riders, but always confirm current MTA fare rules.
Route 59 fare starts with the transit operator, not the route number.
Card, app, contactless, fare card, paper ticket, or exact cash.
Transfer windows and free transfers vary by system.
This is especially important for NJ TRANSIT and some regional systems.
Load fare or prepare exact payment before the bus arrives.
Route 59 Stops: Confirm the Correct Direction
Route number alone is not enough. Use the official map, direction label, stop ID, terminal name, and nearby landmark. A Route 59 stop on one side of a street can serve the opposite direction from the stop across the road.
Example Transfer Map: Arrott Transportation Center
This map is included as a practical example because SEPTA Route 59 uses Arrott Transportation Center as a major transfer point. For CTA, NJ TRANSIT, MBTA, OCTA, MTA, or another Route 59, use that agency’s official route map and stop locator.
- Confirm the city before using a map.
- Check the official stop ID, platform, or bay.
- Look for same-day detours before walking to the stop.
- Use Google Maps as navigation support, not the final timetable source.
Scheduled Time vs Live Arrival
Scheduled time is the planned timetable. Live arrival is a same-day prediction based on vehicle location or real-time information where available. Traffic, detours, cancellations, weather, road work, events, and operator availability can change live arrival.
Use CTA Bus Tracker, SEPTA tools, NJ TRANSIT MyBus, MBTA alerts, OCTA tools, or MTA Bus Time.
Use the exact route label, such as 59, Route 59, 059, or S59.
Match the terminal, destination sign, or inbound/outbound label.
Use stop name, stop ID, nearby landmark, or map pin.
Check again before leaving because predictions can change quickly.
Check Route 59 Alerts Before You Leave
Service alerts can change the stop location, route path, departure bay, travel time, or last trip. This is especially important around downtown terminals, major malls, rail stations, construction zones, and long suburban corridors.
Accessibility Details to Check
Accessibility is both route-specific and stop-specific. A route may use accessible buses, but a stop can still be affected by sidewalk conditions, curb height, construction, snow, blocked boarding areas, or temporary stop relocation.
How to Avoid Missing or Boarding the Wrong Route 59
- Confirm your city and transit agency.
- Open the official Route 59 or S59 page, not only a search result snippet.
- Select today’s travel date and service day if the site offers a date selector.
- Choose the correct direction or destination sign.
- Find your exact stop name, stop ID, platform, or boarding bay.
- Check ticket price, zones, transfers, and accepted payment method.
- Check live arrival shortly before leaving.
- Arrive 5–10 minutes early; use 10–15 minutes for terminals, transfers, or infrequent service.
- Check alerts for detours, closed stops, cancellations, or schedule changes.
- For late return trips, verify the last bus from your actual stop.
Official Route 59 Sources
Use these official pages to confirm current schedules, fares, maps, live arrivals, stop IDs, and alerts. Third-party pages can help you discover a route, but the operating agency controls the current rider information.
Official CTA schedule, route map, stop list, route status, and CTA Bus Tracker access.
Open CTA Route 59Ventra, contactless, cash fare, pass, and transfer information for CTA bus riders.
Open CTA faresOfficial SEPTA schedule lookup for Route 59 Castor-Bustleton and other Philadelphia routes.
Open SEPTA schedulesPay-per-ride, SEPTA Key, contactless payment, pass, and transfer information.
Open SEPTA faresOfficial bus schedule PDF for the Route 59 Newark, Plainfield, and Dunellen corridor.
Open NJ TRANSIT Route 59Official stop ID and live-arrival lookup for NJ TRANSIT bus riders.
Open MyBusOfficial MBTA schedule page for Needham Junction–Watertown Square service.
Open MBTA Route 59Local Bus fare, reduced fare, payment method, and pass information.
Open MBTA bus faresOfficial OCTA route schedule access for Route 59 and other OC Bus routes.
Open OCTA schedulesOC Bus one-way fare, Wave, contactless payment, cash, pass, and fare-capping information.
Open OCTA faresOfficial MTA schedule page for Staten Island S59 Port Richmond–Tottenville service.
Open MTA S59Official MTA live-arrival and stop lookup tool for S59 and other New York City bus routes.
Open MTA Bus TimeRoute 59 Bus Schedule FAQs
What is the Route 59 bus schedule?
There is no single Route 59 bus schedule. The correct timetable depends on the city and transit agency, such as CTA, SEPTA, NJ TRANSIT, MBTA, OCTA, MTA S59, or another local operator.
How do I find the correct 59 bus schedule?
Search with the city and agency name first, then open the official route page, choose the direction, select the service day, and check your exact stop or stop ID.
Is Route 59 the same in every city?
No. Route 59 is reused by different agencies. CTA 59 in Chicago, SEPTA 59 in Philadelphia, NJ TRANSIT 59 in New Jersey, MBTA 59 in Massachusetts, OCTA 59 in Orange County, and MTA S59 in Staten Island are different services.
What time does Route 59 start?
Start time depends on the agency, terminal, direction, and service day. Use the official route page for the first bus from your actual boarding stop.
What time is the last Route 59 bus?
The last bus depends on direction, terminal, stop, weekday, Saturday, Sunday, holiday, and any short-turn or branch pattern. Always check the last trip from your actual stop.
How much is the Route 59 bus fare?
Fare depends on the agency. Examples include CTA bus fare, SEPTA pay-per-ride fare, MBTA Local Bus fare, OCTA one-way fare, MTA local bus fare, and NJ TRANSIT zone-based fare.
Can I pay cash on Route 59?
Some Route 59 buses accept cash, but rules vary. Cash may require exact fare and may not include transfer or fare-capping benefits available with fare cards, apps, or contactless payment.
Where can I see live Route 59 arrival times?
Use the agency’s official live tool, such as CTA Bus Tracker, SEPTA real-time tools, NJ TRANSIT MyBus, MBTA alerts and apps, OCTA rider tools, or MTA Bus Time for S59.
How early should I arrive for Route 59?
Arrive 5–10 minutes early for most local bus stops. Use 10–15 minutes for terminals, transfers, unfamiliar stops, infrequent service, bad weather, or when buying or loading fare.
Where can I find the Route 59 map?
Use the official route map from the transit agency. A generic map result can show the wrong city, wrong direction, old routing, or unofficial stop information.
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