“The Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives,” an advocacy group for subway and bus riders, gave the sixth annual Pokey Award to New York City bus M23, for its average speed of 4 miles per hour at noon during a weekday.

The M23 is a cross-town bus, which runs along 23rd Street between Peter Cooper Village and Chelsea Piers at such a small speed that a New York Daily News reporter said that he could keep up with the vehicle for most of its Hudson River to East River run.

Lorri Greif, a fund-raising consultant, said as she was climbing aboard: “I ran for this bus like a lunatic. If I'd missed it, I would do better walking across town.”

M23 received The Pokey in 2003 as well for the “highest” speed. A woman who has been riding this bus for some 10 years said: “In the middle of the day you have to wait 10 minutes. It's faster to walk at times.”

Another bus line, the M34, which runs through almost inexistent traffic on Herald Square, won second place with an “incredible” speed of 4.3 miles per hour. This bus won first place in 2004 and 2005.

Besides the Pokeys, “The Straphangers Campaign” issued another award, this time for the bus that comes most rarely or has such long gaps between its arrivals that when it finally arrives, there are actually three buses in a row.

The name of this award is ‘The Schleppie” and went to the M1, which runs between Harlem and the East Village. According to the group, M1 buses ran behind schedule 33 percent of the time, being the least reliable bus of New York.

Gene Russianoff, a staff lawyer for “Straphangers Campaign,” said: “One thing that infuriates New York bus riders is waiting 20 minutes and then seeing three buses come in a herd.”

Russianoff added: “Our awards highlight what bus riders know from bitter daily experience: New York City has the pokiest and schleppiest buses in the nation.”

Among the pokiest buses awarded this year were also the B19 in Bronx, with 5 mph; the B63 in Brooklyn, with 4.9 mph; the S61 in Staten Island with 11.7 mph and Q56 in Queens, with 6.1 mph.

In the other category, the schleppiest buses that can always win the award are the B41 in Bronx, the B15 in Brooklyn and the S78 in Staten Island.

Shall we wish them all better luck next year?