Stops

Station Street traveled	Route	Direction	Connections
M34 only
Twelfth Avenue West 34th Street	M34	Westbound terminal, Eastbound stop	NYC Bus: M12 (northbound only)
Eleventh Avenue / Javits Center West 34th Street		Bidirectional	NYC Bus: M12 (southbound only) NYC Subway: ​ trains at 34th Street–Hudson Yards
Hudson Park Boulevard West 34th Street		Westbound
Tenth Avenue West 34th Street		Eastbound	NYC Bus: M11 (northbound only)
Dyer Avenue West 34th Street		Westbound
M34A only
43rd Street / Port Authority Bus Terminal Eighth Avenue	M34A	Westbound terminal	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only); (M42 at 42nd St) Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ trains at Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
42nd Street Ninth Avenue		Eastbound station	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only); M42
40th Street Eighth Avenue		Westbound	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only); (M42 at 42nd St) Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ trains at Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
39th Street Ninth Avenue		Eastbound	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only)
37th Street Eighth Avenue		Westbound	NYC Bus: M20, M104 (all buses northbound only)
Common Stops
Ninth Avenue West 34th Street	Both routes (EB) M34 (WB)	Bidirectional	NYC Bus: M11 (southbound only)
Eighth Avenue / Penn Station / MSG West 34th Street	Both routes		NYC Bus: M20 (northbound only) NYC Subway: ​​ trains at 34th Street–Penn Station Penn Station: Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit
Seventh Avenue / Penn Station / MSG West 34th Street			NYC Bus: M7, M20 (all buses southbound only) NYC Subway: ​​ trains at 34th Street–Penn Station Penn Station: Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit
Sixth Avenue / Broadway / Herald Square West 34th Street			NYC Bus: M5, M7, M55 (all buses northbound only) NYC Subway: ​​​​​​​ trains at 34th Street–Herald Square PATH: HOB – 33, JSQ – 33, JSQ – 33 (via HOB) trains at 33rd Street
Fifth Avenue / Empire State Building East 34th Street			NYC Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M55, Q32 (all buses southbound only)
Park Avenue East 34th Street			NYC Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, Q32 (all buses northbound only) at Madison Avenue NYC Subway: train at 33rd Street NYC Bus: M101, M102, M103 (all buses southbound only) at Lexington Avenue
Third Avenue East 34th Street			NYC Bus: M101, M102, M103 (all buses northbound only)
Second Avenue East 34th Street			NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only)
First Avenue East 34th Street	Both routes westbound M34 eastbound		NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses northbound only)
29th Street FDR Drive	Both routes	Westbound
28th Street Second Avenue		Eastbound	NYC Bus: M9, M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only)
Waterside Plaza 25th Street		Eastbound terminus, Westbound stop
23rd Street Second Avenue		Eastbound	NYC Bus: M9, M15, M15 SBS (all buses southbound only); M23 SBS
First Avenue VA Hospital			NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS (all buses northbound only); M9, M23 SBS
Avenue C 23rd Street
M34 only
Marginal Street East River Ferry Terminal	M34	Eastbound terminal, Westbound stop	NY Waterway: East River Ferry

Streetcar line

The Thirty-Fourth Street Crosstown Railway was chartered on March 18, 1896, being a consolidation of the Thirty-Fourth Street Railroad Company and the Thirty-Fourth Street Ferry & Eleventh Avenue Railroad. The stock of the company was owned by the Metropolitan Street Railway. The streetcar line was previously a horsecar line, and in July 1900 the line began running via storage batteries, but in September 1903 it was changed to using an underground third rail.^[4]

Local bus service

New York City Omnibus Corporation bus route (M19 - 16) replaced New York Railways' 34th Street Crosstown Line streetcar on April 1, 1936.^[5][6][7]

In April 1986, the main bus route was renamed the M34.

In April 2001, the MTA announced a planned reroute of the M34 to serve the 34th Street Ferry Terminal. Buses, at the time, eastbound buses had traveled north via First Avenue and turned east onto East 36th Street, where the route terminated, and westbound buses headed east along East 36th Street, south via FDR Drive West Service Road, and west along East 34th Street. To serve the ferry terminal, eastbound service would run east along East 34th Street, over the FDR Drive Service Roads, and turn north into the bus staging area at the pier, and westbound service would leave from the northern end of the terminal area at East 35th Street, turn south on the FDR Drive West Service Road and head west on East 34th Street. The change was to be implemented in April 2001.^[8]

In 2010, it was one of seven local bus routes in Manhattan to participate in a PayPass smart card program. This program was a pilot program meant to find a suitable smart card technology to replace the MetroCard.^[9][10]

In August 2010, a program was implemented along the M16 and M34 routes, in which riders could track arriving buses. This later became MTA Bus Time.^[11]

Select Bus Service

A standard-length Orion VII NG bus, used by M34/M34A SBS.

The M34 SBS and M34A SBS routes began on November 13, 2011.^[12] Like other Select Bus Service corridors, off-board fare payment is used, as well as all-door boarding.^[13] These are considered by the MTA as two SBS services, the M34 34th Street Crosstown and the former M16 route, which was renamed the M34A; the routes share a single corridor.^[14][12] The stops are listed below from west to east. Red-painted bus lanes were installed on 34th Street between First Avenue and Eleventh Avenue.^[15] The stops at Madison Avenue and Lexington Avenue were eliminated, the westbound stop at Tenth Avenue was moved to Dyer Avenue, and a stop at West 43rd Street near Ninth Avenue was moved consolidated with a stop at 42nd Street near that avenue. A part-time stop at West 38th Street and Ninth Avenue was moved to West 39th Street.^[16][17]

On April 8, 2012, as part of a pilot program that expanded on the 2010 pilot, MTA Bus Time was phased into this route.^[18] In April 2012, weekend service on the route was increased.^[19]

Starting in early 2013, bus bulbs were installed at twelve locations along 34th Street, allowing buses to stay in the bus lane while stopping.^[15] In November 2015, the section between Lexington Avenue and Seventh Avenue was completed with the installation of four new bus bulbs, resurfaced streets, new parking spaces, and newly painted bus lanes. The portion between 12th Avenue and Lexington Avenue included the construction of eight bus bulbs at bus stops and one curb extension. The remaining segment, between Lexington Avenue and the FDR Drive Service Road is expected to be completed by December 2016. The remaining portion would install three bus bulbs at bus stops and would build two curb extensions.^[20] The entire cost of the project is $27 million. In its first year of operation, there has been 23% time savings. Since 2011, there has been 12% ridership growth on the route, while overall, bus ridership has been decreasing in Manhattan.^[21][22]