For many years through the 2000s, the B61 had been considered an unreliable route, due to the route's length, infrequent and off-schedule service, and traffic congestion in Downtown Brooklyn. To remedy the situation, on January 3, 2010, the B61 was split into the B61 (Red Hook−Downtown Brooklyn) and a new B62 (Downtown Brooklyn−Long Island City). In addition, the B62 was rerouted to serve the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal to provide convenient connections to bus and subway routes there. The change had been discussed by the MTA and local politicians since 2007. On June 27, 2010, the new B61 was merged with the discontinued and routes during the 2010 MTA budget crisis. The B61 was extended east of Red Hook into Park Slope, replacing the entire B77 route and the eastern/southern leg of the B75. In November 2011, a report on B61 service was released by New York City Council member Brad Lander. In April 2012, additional buses were added to the B61 route. Later that year, MTA Bus Time was installed on B61 buses.