Brooklyn Heights committee raises bus rental hourly rate to $50, keeps $40 airport fee

The Parks, Playground & Community Services Committee of the Village of Brooklyn Heights approved an increase to the village bus rental hourly rate from $35 to $50 during its March 3, 2026 meeting. Community Services Director Ms. Guilfoyle reviewed the program’s history and reservation rules before the committee agreed to the change.

Guilfoyle told the committee the village began offering bus rentals in 2013 at $35 per hour, with airport runs available for a $40 flat fee, and that those rates had not been increased since the program’s inception. She described how residents and the village use the buses and outlined the reservation process.

The committee clarified payment and refund rules for rentals. Guilfoyle asked whether a renter who ends a trip early should still be charged for the originally reserved time, including driver pay. The committee agreed that renters will be charged for the full reserved time, employees will be paid for the full reserved time, and rental fees will be non-refundable.

Following that discussion, the committee raised the standard hourly rental rate to $50 per hour while maintaining the $40 flat fee for airport runs. The transcript does not indicate a formal roll-call vote or mover/second; the record states the council reached agreement. The meeting record does not specify an effective date for the new rate.

The change affects residents and groups that use the village buses for trips and may increase revenue to cover driver pay and operating costs. There were no further questions before the meeting adjourned.