New York City’s subway system has 469 stations across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens and a booming ridership of nearly six million people each day. But a map of the subway deserts that was recently released highlights the pockets where the subway does not travel — areas that are typically less wealthy, though some outlying neighborhoods are more affluent and people there often rely on cars.  Starting in January 2019, Manhattan-bound residents of North and East Williamsburg in Brooklyn will temporarily join the ranks of those without convenient subway access when the L tunnel under the East River is closed to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy. Riders who currently enjoy a short, if uncomfortably crowded, roughly 10-minute trip to Union Square in Manhattan are debating whether to switch to another subway line or to take a bus or a ferry instead.  Many New Yorkers who do not live near the subway use the bus, even though bus ridership is declining — a trend transit advocates attribute to poor service. Complaints abound: Buses move slowly in traffic; riders are not familiar with the routes; buses are not spaced evenly. A report released last month by several transit groups offered recommendations to improve the bus system, such as installing additional dedicated bus lanes and redesigning routes.  The ability to move around efficiently often plays an important role in economic well-being: New Yorkers with poor transit access tend to have lower incomes and higher rates of unemployment, according to a recent report by the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University. Residents who could economically benefit from a shorter commute are often unable to afford to live in places with good transit access because housing costs are usually higher.  “It is a perpetuating cycle because rents are closely correlated to transit access,” said Sarah M. Kaufman, the assistant director for technology programming at the center, adding that people with long commutes often face hardships like higher child care costs because they get home later.  A Harvard study on upward mobility found a link between commuting times and a child’s likelihood of escaping poverty. “Across the U.S., the pattern you see is that neighborhoods with shorter commute times produce better outcomes for low-income kids,” said Nathaniel Hendren, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard who worked on the study.  In New York City, about three-quarters of residential units are within a half mile of a subway station, according to a 2015 report by the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at N.Y.U. The statistics vary widely by borough: In Manhattan, about 94 percent of units are near the subway, compared with about 54 percent of units in Queens. Staten Island is the only borough that the subway does not reach, though many commuters take the Staten Island Railway and the free Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan.  Many New Yorkers who rely on buses have plenty of advice for L train commuters about what lies ahead.  “You never know what’s going to happen with the bus; I suggest leaving early,” said Harvinder Singh, 19, a finance student at Queens College, who takes two buses to the Flushing campus from his home in South Ozone Park, Queens.  Mr. Singh, whose commute is about an hour each way, did offer praise for the dedicated bus lanes that have been expanded as a way to improve service.  “That’s a great way to make them faster during rush hour,” Mr. Singh said as he rode a campus shuttle on a recent weekday, pointing out the window at a Q44 bus lane.  Transit advocates agree and have urged officials to create a dedicated bus lane over the Williamsburg Bridge during the L closing, as well as a “PeopleWay” on 14th Street in Manhattan that would prioritize buses, bicyclists and pedestrians over cars.  “This is the right time to be pushing to make that bus as good as possible,” said Nick Sifuentes, the deputy director of the Riders Alliance, an advocacy group.  Queens College, which is east of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park near the Long Island Expressway, is so isolated from the subway that it started a free shuttle in 2014 to ferry students to the closest stops. City buses are often as packed as subway cars, but the crowds are more frustrating because the ride is longer, said Madanlal Jaikaran, 25, a graphic design student at Queens College.  “Be prepared to stand, because there are no seats,” said Mr. Jaikaran, who lives in Queens and took a bus to classes before switching to driving.  But Sheena Pierre, 20, a psychology student at the college, warned that buses become less reliable during the winter, especially during snow. Ms. Pierre, who lives near the border of Queens and Nassau County, sighed in frustration as she described “seven years of buses” — first to high school and now to college.  She cannot afford a car and without a subway stop in her neighborhood, she does not have any other option than to take the bus about an hour each way.  “It’s hard to get up so early,” Ms. Pierre said. “I guess I’m used to it.”  A version of this article appears in print on August 16, 2016, on page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Sympathy for L Train Riders? Not in ‘Subway Deserts’. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Slow buses, crowded vans and stressful commutes are part of life for the many who live, work and study in areas not served by the city’s subway system.