New York City's first official subway system began operation on October 27, 1904 in Manhattan. The inaugural ride for public officials and invited guests became even more memorable when an enthusiastic Mayor McClennan insisted on driving the train for several miles.

The First sunday the system opened, a million people tried to "do the subway,"-a figure greater than the City's population a century before. Now, 90 years later, daily subway ridership exceeds New York City's 1904 Population.

New York City's bus and subway systems were originally managed by private companies. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company operated the original 9.1 mile-long line which extended along 28 stations from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway. IRT subway lines began service to the Bronx in 1905 and then to Queens in 1915. Another private company, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (later the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation), began running a subway between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1915.

Private companies also operated the City's earliest motor buses. On July 13, 1907, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company began providing passenger service between Washington Square and 90th Street with the first gasoline-powered bus, an open-top double-decker.

By 1932, the City's Board of Transportation completed construction of the Eighth Avenue line and created the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad to provide the first City-run subway service. Then in 1940, the City purchased the BMT and IRT to become the sole owner and operator of all New York's subway and elevated lines. In addition, along with operating surface routes formerly run by the BMT, the City acquired three other bus companies in the late 1940s and began operating bus service in Queens and Staten Island.

In 1953, the New York State Legislature created the New York City Transit Authority (now NYC Transit) as a separate public corporation to manage and operate these City-owned bus and subway routes.

July 25, 1953 - Tokens are used for the first time on subways and buses.

Oct. 30, 1954 - A track connection opens between Brooklyn's Church Avenue and Ditmas Avenue stations. This establishes single-route service (on the D line) from the Bronx at 205th Street to Brooklyn's Coney Island.

May 12, 1955 - The last elevated line in Manhattan, the Third Avenue "El", is discontinued.

Dec. 1, 1955 - Former BMT and IND lines are linked in Long Island City, Queens, with the opening of a track connection between 60th Street tunnel and the Queens Boulevard line.

June 28, 1956 - Subway service begins operating to Rockaway Park and Wavecrest in Queens

Oct. 31, 1956 - NYC Transit's last two full-length trolley lines - along brooklyn's McDonald Avenue and Church Avenue - are discontinued.

Jan. 16, 1958 - Subway service is extended to Far Rockaway/Mott Avenue in Queens.

Aug. 1, 1959 - The City's rapid-transit power plants are sold to the Consolidated Edison Company. The New York Power Authority uses the Con Ed network to supply power to New York City Transit.

March 19, 1962 - The New York State Legislature forms the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA), a non-civil-service subsidiary of NYC Transit, to take over bus operations for the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Lines.

May 21, 1965 - The subway's first two-way radio system goes into operation on the Lexington Avenue (currently, the No. 4, 5, 6 trains) line. This links trains to control towers and the command center.

Nov. 3, 1965 - NYC Transit creates the first express-bus route, the R8X, to link Staten Island to downtown Brooklyn. (The first express-bus route between Staten Island and Manhattan begins operating on Dec. 9, 1968.)

July 19, 1967 - The first successful air-conditioned subway cars (R-38 model) go into service on the F line.

Nov. 26, 1967 - The opening of the Christie Street connection merges former BMT and IND divisions between the Broadway-Lafayette station and lines crossing the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. A new station opens at Grand Street to serve trains using the Manhattan Bridge (currently, the B, D and Q routes).

March 1, 1968 - The New York State Legislature creates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to oversee transportation operations in 12 counties. The MTA becomes New York City Transit's parent agency.

May 14, 1968 - Surface Transit (now NYC Bus) introduces a two-way radio link between buses and its command center.

July 1, 1969 - New York City Transit introduces a reduced fare for senior citizens on buses and trains.

Oct. 4, 1969 - The last active wooden passenger cars in North America are retired from Brooklyn's Myrtle Av "El", which is abandoned.

July 1, 1971 - After the City purchases the Staten Island subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (now called Staten Island Railway) is created to operated NYC Transit-managed rail service on Staten Island.

Aug. 15, 1972 - For the first time in 40 years, construction of a major new subway line begins. The new line operates along Archer Avenue in Queens. Included in this work is the demolition of the Jamaica Avenue "El" from 127th Street to 169th Street.

April 29, 1973 - The Bronx's Third Avenue "El" ceases operating. This service is replaced by the Bx55 bus route.

Aug. 5, 1973 - The last street-level crossing in the transit system - for the L line at Brooklyn's East 105th Street - is eliminated.

Sep. 2, 1975 - Half-fare for people with physical disabilities is instituted on all subways, buses and Staten Island Railway trains. On July 1, 1976 the program is expanded to include all senior citizens and other individuals who are Medicate recipients.

July 1, 1976 - Opening of the transit Exhibition (now called the NY Transit Museum) in the former Court Street shuttle station in Downtown Brooklyn.

Sep. 2, 1977 - NYC Transit introduces its first "Guide-A-Ride" bus information signs at bus stops.

April 16, 1979 - The opening of the first Travel Information Center in NYC Transit's Brooklyn headquarters. Subsequently, NYC Transit opens centers at Pennsylvania station (upper level, near AMTRAK), Grand Central Station (main concourse, near Met Life) and the Port Authority (near Eights Avenue/40th Street entrance).

June 23, 1979 - Introduction of the first of the "modern" subway maps, which feature geographically accurate street identification, a display of transfer points, a guide to times and days of operation and consistent coloring of routes.

Dec. 15, 1980 - The Transit Police introduce K-9 policing to the subways with 12 officers and their German shepherd dogs.

Aug. 9, 1981 - New York City Transit introduces its first rear-door wheelchair-lift buses, putting three 837 General Motors RTS II-04 Advanced Design buses in service on the M16 route.

Jan. 1, 1982 - To rescue the nation's largest mass-transit system from years of under-capitalization and deferred maintenance, NYC Transit launches the first of its five-year Capital Improvement programs. Administered through the MTA, an average of $1.2 billion in annual funding comes from the state, city and federal resources. A second five-year program follows in 1987. Throughout this period, New York City Transit succeeds in managing on the the biggest capital-works projects in the nation's history by successfully overhauling and replacing the bus and subway fleets, the mainline track and many maintenance and station facilities.

Sept. 1, 1983 - The Ten-Pak (a clear plastic package containing 10 subway tokens) is introduced.

Sept. 1, 1984 - The Track Geometry Car - to inspect track conditions for safety and maintenance - goes into service.

Sept. 6, 1984 - A new depot is opened on the site of Brooklyn's 100-year-old Fifth Avenue Depot. On June 30, 1988, the depot is renamed the Jackie Gleason Depot.

April 5, 1986 - The first electronic fareboxes go into operation on buses.

March 24, 1986 - The Transit Adjudication Bureau begins operation. A division of NYC Transit's Law Department, this is the only administrative tribunal in New York dedicated to the adjudication and enforcement of New York City Transit's rules and regulations.

Nov. 15, 1987 - For the first time, a New York City Transit local bus (the Q3) operates to JFK International Airport.

Dec. 11, 1988 - The Archer Avenue line, which consists of three stations and links the Jamaica (J) and Queens Boulevard (E) lines in Queens opens. New skip-stop service (Z) is created. Six southeast Queens bus routes are rerouted to serve the city's first modern intermodal (bus/rail) transfer facility, which is part of the new Jamaica Center (Parsons-Archer) station.

May 12, 1989 - New York City Transit succeeds with its five-year goal of establishing graffiti-free bus and subway fleets as the last graffiti-covered train is taken out of service. The program proves to be an important source of employee pride and a boon for New York's bus and subway customers.

Aug. 21, 1989 - Following four years of track reconstruction, the No. 9 route is inaugurated to create skip-stop service with the No. 1 route between 137th Street and 242nd Street. On the same day express service is reintroduced for No. 7 route customers, following the completion of extensive track reconstruction.

Sept. 1, 1989 - The $50 million, 240-bus Gun Hill Depot opens in the Bronx.

Oct. 29, 1989 - Service begins to the 63rd street extension's three new stations at Manhattan's Lexington Avenue, Roosevelt Island and 21st Street in Long Island City.

Aug. 28, 1991 - The subway system suffers its worst accident in 60 years when a train derails outside the Union Square station. In the months following the disaster, the nation adopts stronger fitness-for-duty testing procedures for transit employees in safety-sensitive jobs.

Feb. 9, 1992 - Surface Transit introduces the Route Manager Program to Manhattan's M15 route. Route Managers work at bus stops and are responsible for coordinating all route activities in order to take better care of customers. By the end of 1993, the program expands to all 202 local bus route.

April 21, 1992 - After a three-year absence, the Intervale Ave. (No. 2 and 5 routes) station reopens after undergoing 20 months of reconstruction. The station had been destroyed by fire in 1989.

June 26, 1992 - MTA Chairman Peter Stangl and New York City Transit President Alan Kiepper begin to implement "Fare Deal", the MTA's new customer-focused business strategy to provide more economical, convenient, safer transportation and to maintain and attract ridership. This includes intensified customer services, innovative pricing, increased transit service and infrastructure improvements. Virtually all of the following listings are part of the Fare Deal agenda.

Aug. 16, 1992 - After undergoing a $55 million on-site replacement, Queens' former Flushing Depot becomes Casey Stengel Depot.

Sept. 13, 1992 - M60 interborough bus service between Harlem and LaGuardia Airport starts. The M60 route is extended to Broadway/116th St on May 1, 1994, giving all Manhattan a one-fare ride to the airport.

Sept. 13, 1992 - S79 interborough bus service between Staten Island and Manhattan begins.

Oct. 18, 1992 - New bus transfer/discount fare privileges being in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn. Staten Island customer who transfer between local and certain express buses or local buses and the Staten Island Railway pay one fare instead of two. B74 customers in Brooklyn pay only 75 cents per trip; Q4, Q5, Q42, Q83, Q84 and Q85 customers traveling to the Jamaica Center subway station in Queens pay $1.50 for round-trip bus fare - a 40 percent savings.

Oct. 25, 1992 - NYC Transit's A line becomes the system's first "Showcase" line. This pilot program offers A-line customers timetables, more frequent weekend train service and communications improvements.

Oct. 30, 1992 - NYC Transit begins installing the first 125 Automated-Fare-Collection (AFC) turnstiles. By July 1993, AFC turnstiles are in place at 69 key stations.

Nov. 8, 1992 - New York City Transit opens a new depot - the Manhattanville Depot on 132nd St and 12th Avenue in Manhattan.

Nov. 19, 1992 - NYC Transit unveils two New Technology Test Trains at the Transit Museum open house. With their development based on customer input, the trains feature improvements in communications, safety, security and comfort. In the summer of 1993 they began operating in revenue service - one on the No. 2 line an the other on the A line.

Feb. 21, 1993 - The new Kingsbridge Depot, housing 242 buses and more than 650 employees, replaces the Walnut Depot, which closes for rehabilitation.

April 15, 1993 - NYC Transit introduces a braille map for people who are visually impaired. The map for this pilot project provides a braille overview of Manhattan subway lines and line-specific maps of the E, 4, 5 and 6.

Sept. 24, 1993 0 The 146th Street Depot is officially rename the Mother Clara McBride Hale Depot. Over a five year period transit workers raise more than $61,000 for Hale House, the late Mother Hale's Harlem child-care center.

Dec. 5, 1993 - New York City Transit introduces Request-a-Stop fo Staten Island buses for safety and convenience. Customers can get off at non-designated stops along a route between midnight and 5 a.m.

Dec. 17, 1993 - The MTA Capital Program Review Board approves MTA's plans for capital improvements through 1996. The $17.2 billion third Capital Program includes the 63rd Street Tunnel Extension and emphasizes renovating infrastructure (e.g. station rehabilitation, signal, fan and pump modernization). Increased maintenance of the bus and subway fleet and tracks are also included.

Jan. 1, 1994 - Expanded transfer privileges between NYC Transit buses and private bus lines in Queens take effect.

Jan. 6, 1994 - The Automated Fare collection system officially begins at the Wall Street (4,5) and Whitehall Street (N,R) stations. More than 600 MetroCards are sold on the first day.