The Ordinary suspends its free bus service in New York until ‘further notice’

By Amanda May | Published: 1-Jun-2026
Skin Care Marketing

The skin care brand’s limited-run The Ordinary Bus, which aims to provide a ‘solution’ to a New York transportation pain point by running a free express shuttle, has been suspended just days after launching

The Ordinary has suspended its free express shuttle marketing stunt in New York, US, just days after its launch.

The Estée Lauder Companies-owned skin care company announced the suspension of The Ordinary Bus “until further notice” on Instagram on 30 May, stating it is “working hard” to get the limited shuttle running again soon. 

The Ordinary Bus – which aims to provide a “solution” to a New York transportation pain point by running a free express shuttle from Williamsburg’s Domino Park to Prospect Park in Brooklyn – launched on 26 May and is meant to run until 9 June.

It claims to cut the usual 50-minute-plus subway route, which includes a detour into Manhattan, commuting time in half, and is part of The Ordinary’s ongoing commitment to deliver accessibility beyond skin care. 

It is not clear why the service has stopped running, and no further information has been given in Cosmetics Business’ comment request to the brand. 

“NYC we tried :-(,” read The Ordinary’s Instagram post. 

“The Ordinary Bus route has been suspended until further notice.

“Our goal was always to provide a genuinely useful service for the city, and we are so grateful to everyone who has joined along with us so far. 

The Ordinary Bus

The Ordinary Bus

“We are sorry for the inconvenience this pause causes.

“We are working hard to get our bus up and running again soon, fingers crossed.” 

The Ordinary hoped to transport around 1,000 people during this time, the brand previously told Cosmetics Business, with free full-sized product samples given away to the first 100 shuttle riders each day.

The bus was meant to run from 12pm to 7pm Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 7pm from Saturday to Sunday, across the two-week period.

Cosmetics Business has reached out to the Mayor of New York’s office for comment on the situation. 

The Ordinary is known for running anti-marketing stunts and campaigns that champion transparency and science, with its most recent The Markup Marché activation taking a swipe at the “overinflated language” used to sell beauty.

Last year, the brand sold cheap eggs to consumers during another campaign when prices had hit an inflationary high. 

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