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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary - BNY Mellon National Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The fund seeks to maximize current income exempt from federal income tax to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 24.05% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 24.05%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategy
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that provide income exempt from federal income tax.


The fund's investments in municipal and taxable bonds must be rated investment grade (i.e., Baa/BBB or higher) at the time of purchase or, if unrated, deemed of comparable quality by the investment adviser. Generally, the fund's average effective portfolio maturity will be between three and ten years and the average effective duration of the fund's portfolio will not exceed eight years. The fund may invest in individual municipal and taxable bonds of any maturity or duration. Average effective portfolio maturity is an average of the maturities of bonds held by the fund directly and the bonds underlying derivative instruments entered into by the fund, if any, adjusted to reflect provisions or market conditions that may cause a bond's principal to be repaid earlier than at its stated maturity. Duration is an indication of an investment's "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond or the fund's portfolio may be to changes in interest rates.


Although the fund seeks to provide income exempt from federal income tax, income from some of the fund’s holdings may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. The fund occasionally, including for temporary defensive purposes, may invest in taxable bonds and may not achieve its investment objective when doing so.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.


· Municipal securities risk. The amount of public information available about municipal securities is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds. Special factors, such as legislative changes, and state and local economic and business developments, may adversely affect the yield and/or value of the fund's investments in municipal securities. Other factors include the general conditions of the municipal securities market, the size of the particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. Changes in economic, business or political conditions relating to a particular municipal project, municipality, or state, territory or possession of the United States in which the fund invests may have an impact on the fund's share price.


· Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect bond prices and, accordingly, the fund's share price. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the fund's fixed-income portfolio, the more the fund's share price is likely to react to interest rates. For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%. Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%.


· Call risk. Some bonds give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer "calls" its bond during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of "callable" issues are subject to increased price fluctuation.


· Credit risk. Failure of an issuer to make timely interest or principal payments, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of a bond, can cause the bond's price to fall, potentially lowering the fund's share price. The lower a bond's credit rating, the greater the chance – in the rating agency's opinion – that the bond issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.


· Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. The secondary market for certain municipal bonds tends to be less well developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may adversely affect the fund's ability to sell such municipal bonds at attractive prices.


· Non-diversification risk. The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows the performance of the fund's Class M shares from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's Class M shares and Investor shares to those of the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index and the S&P Municipal Bond Intermediate Index, each an unmanaged, market-weighted index designed to measure the performance of municipal bonds with a minimum maturity of 3 years and a maximum maturity of up to but not including 15 years and, in the case of the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index, that are rated at least BBB- by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or BBB- by Fitch Ratings. The fund changed its primary benchmark, effective as of July 1, 2013, to the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index, from the S&P Municipal Bond Intermediate Index, because the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index is more reflective of the credit quality of the fund's portfolio holdings.


After-tax performance is shown only for Class M shares. After-tax performance of the fund's Investor shares will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.


The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Performance for each share class will vary due to differences in expenses.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund.
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Class M
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter
Q3, 2009: 6.85%
 Worst Quarter
Q4, 2010: -3.71%


The year-to-date total return of the fund's Class M shares as of September 30, 2013 was -1.82%.

Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel The year-to-date total return of the fund's Class M shares
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Sep. 30, 2013
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (1.82%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 6.85%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2010
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (3.71%)
Performance Table Market Index Changed rr_PerformanceTableMarketIndexChanged The fund changed its primary benchmark, effective as of July 1, 2013, to the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index, from the S&P Municipal Bond Intermediate Index, because the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index is more reflective of the credit quality of the fund's portfolio holdings.
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax performance is shown only for Class M shares. After-tax performance of the fund's Investor shares will vary.
Caption rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/12
S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01    [1]
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05    [1]
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10    [1]
S&P Municipal Bond Intermediate Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.34%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.12%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.14%
Class M Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Investment advisory fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.35%
Other expenses - Shareholder services fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Other expenses - Administration fees rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.12%
Other expenses - Other expenses of the fund rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.50%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 51
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 160
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 280
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 628
Annual Return 2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 5.01%
Annual Return 2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 3.74%
Annual Return 2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 2.09%
Annual Return 2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 4.24%
Annual Return 2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 3.39%
Annual Return 2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (1.95%)
Annual Return 2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 13.49%
Annual Return 2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 1.81%
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 9.33%
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 5.26%
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.26%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.45%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.56%
Class M Shares | After Taxes on Distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.19%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.39%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.51%
Class M Shares | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.58%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.18%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.43%
Investor Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Investment advisory fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.35%
Other expenses - Shareholder services fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.25%
Other expenses - Administration fees rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.12%
Other expenses - Other expenses of the fund rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.75%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 77
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 240
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 417
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 930
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.99%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.19%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.31%
[1] The S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index was first calculated on March 19, 2013. Accordingly, the fund will continue to report the performance of the S&P Municipal Bond Intermediate Index until the S&P Municipal Bond Investment Grade Intermediate Index has been calculated for a 10-year period.