Tapped In: City Bus Grades, YMCA Drive, East River Boat Repairs, Free Christmas Gala

GRADES FOR CITY BUSES City Council Member Jessica Lappin introduced a resolution to the Council on Monday that calls for a letter-grading system for buses. Like restaurant grading, Lappin's measure would rate individual bus lines from A (excellent) to F (terrible) based on criteria like cleanliness, timeliness and seat availability. The idea for bus ratings was inspired by Susan Giles, an Upper East Side resident who suggested it to Lappin over the summer. "Grading buses is an easy way to let commuters know what they're getting, and let the MTA know where they need to improve," Lappin said in a statement. "For the past two years I've issued a report card on Select Bus Service, and it's been a great transparency tool. Why not extend it to all bus lines?" Earlier this year, Lappin issued a report card that gave Select Bus Service a "B" for its quality of service. MTA itself conducts customer satisfaction surveys for its overall service on buses, but does not rate individual bus lines. VANDERBILT YMCA HOLDS CLOTHING DRIVE, FREE DINNER Vanderbilt YMCA at 224 East 47th Street is conducting a clothing drive throughout the month to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. The organization is seeking donations of coats, thermals, gloves, scarves, hats and socks, which they will bundle and distribute to needy families and individuals who attend their free Christmas dinner on Dec. 25. Clothing collection runs through Dec. 21. STRINGER SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBERS Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is selecting next year's class of Community Board members. Manhattan is divided geographically into 12 communities, each of which has its own board of up to 50 unpaid local members appointed by Stringer. The boards have no administrative rights, but present requests to the city's administration that address neighborhood quality of life, business and residential issues. Stringer is holding information sessions about the application process on Thursday, Dec. 13, and Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St., 6:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP to cbinfo@manhattanbp.org. EAST RIVER C.R.E.W. HOPES TO FUND BOAT REPAIRS East River CREW (Community Recreation and Education on the Water) is wrapping gifts this month to raise repair funds for its two 25-foot boats. The nonprofit, which provides free non-competitive rowing to educate New Yorkers about the East River, will be at the Barnes & Noble at 150 E. 86th Street on Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m. According to the organization, one of its boats was punctured during Hurricane Sandy. The second boat was damaged while being wheeled to the East River Esplanade at East 96th Street. The nonprofit uses the boats to promote stewardship of the city's waters, and runs many programs for schoolchildren. The organization is also seeking tax-deductible donations. More details can be found at East River CREW's website, www.eastrivercrew.org. FREE CHRISTMAS GALA Arts at the Park, a component of the Park Avenue Christian Church, is holding a free Christmas Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 19. The show will feature a program of choral and instrumental music and readings, with a focus on female composers. Works include organ pieces, a medieval English carol and an African-American spiritual. The concert will conclude with sing-along Christmas tunes and a hot chocolate toast. The concert begins at 8 p.m. at 1010 Park Ave.